GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team picked up its second Liberty League win in as many days, topping visiting Bard College 70-57 in Bristol Gym this afternoon. Senior Chloe Hayter led the way with her seventh double-double of the season.
 
Hayter shared team-high honors with 14 points and guided the Herons to a 40-34 rebounding advantage with a team-high 13 caroms. Sophomore Melanie Patterson also scored 14 points and handed out four assists. Sophomore Gabrielle Eure added 12 points, five boards, and three assists. First-year Sarah Brophy had season-highs of 11 points and three steals off the bench. Senior Ali Pliszka scored 9 points, all from 3-point land, and handed out a game-high six assists.
 
William Smith (3-10, 2-3) posted season-highs with 18 assists, nine steals, and seven blocked shots. The Herons shot 41 percent from the floor, made eight 3-pointers, and shot a season's best 86 percent from the free throw line, making as many freebies (12) as the Raptors attempted. William Smith also committed a season-low 12 fouls.
 
Bard got twin game-high 17-point performances from juniors Tytravia Riley and Bianka Bell. Riley also collected a game-high 15 rebounds.
 
Bard (4-10, 0-6) shot 36 percent from the floor, 21 percent from beyond the arc, and 75 percent at the free throw line.
 
The teams traded the lead back-and-forth midway through the first half when the Herons seized the lead for good with a 12-2 run. Brophy kicked off the run with a 3-pointer. Sophomore Annie Kissel answered with her only points of the game, giving Bard its final lead of the day, 24-23. The Raptors then went five minutes without a field goal as William Smith scored nine straight points to build a 32-24 lead.
 
Bell hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in the half to make it a 5-point game, but Patterson drained a 3 at the buzzer to send the Herons into the break with a 37-29 lead.
 
Bard scored the first 6 points of the second half to close the gap to 37-35, but William Smith scored 12 of the next 15 points to expand its lead to 11, 49-38 with 11:24 to remaining. Pliszka started the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers. After Bell made a jumper, Brophy hit another 3. Riley made 1-of-2 at the line to make it an 8-point game, but Brophy completed a traditional 3-point play to finish the run.
 
The Raptors got back within 7 with 9:43 to go, but Eure scored 4 straight points followed by a Patterson jumper that pushed the Herons' lead into double digits, this time for good.
 
William Smith begins a four-game road trip at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23 when the Herons visit Rensselaer. Bard will return home to host Clarkson on the same date and time.