GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith College senior forward Chloe Hayter produced game-highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds, but visiting Clarkson University escaped Bristol Gym with a 69-65 Liberty League win.
 
Hayter was 8-of-15 from the floor with a 3-pointer and 6-of-7 at the free throw line. Her 10 boards raised her career total to 639, moving her past Pam DuMond '96 into eighth place on the Herons' all-time list. Sophomore guard Melanie Patterson joined Hayter in double figures, finishing with 16 points.
 
The Golden Knights (8-2, 1-0) got 20-point efforts from junior forward Ashley Loggins and senior guard Cara Manfredi while sophomore guard Stephanie Grobe added 10 points. Loggins and sophomore forward Alyssia Marsal shared team-high honors with eight boards apiece, helping CU to a 43-35 advantage on the glass.
 
William Smith (1-8, 0-1) blistered the nets in the first half, shooting 67 percent from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. The Herons built the largest lead of the game when Hayter made the second of two free throws to put the home team ahead 30-22 with 4:51 remaining in the half.
 
Unfortunately, William Smith made just one more field goal before half time as the Golden Knights rattled off an 18-6 run to take a 40-36 lead into halftime. Hayter led all scorers with 14 points at the break and the Herons were plus three in rebounding margin.
 
In the second half, the teams traded the lead back-and-forth in the early minutes. Patterson's layup at the 16:42 mark gave William Smith a 46-43 lead. The Herons then went on a six-minute scoring drought that saw Clarkson score 10 straight points to build a 53-46 lead. Undaunted, William Smith soared back into the game with 10 consecutive points of its own, taking a 56-53 lead on a layup by first-year guard Kendra Quinn-Moultrie at the 6:35 mark.
 
Marsal stopped the run with a jumper and Loggins put CU back in front with a 3-pointer at 5:26. The Herons tied the game twice in over the next two minutes, but couldn't retake the lead. Quinn-Moultrie forged the final tie with a jumper at 3:19. Marsal put Clarkson in front for good with a layup with 2:01 left and the Knights put the game away at the free throw line making all six of their attempts in the final minute.
 
William Smith shot 50 percent from the floor for the game, but was just 1-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Herons converted 12-of-17 at the charity stripe. Clarkson shot 32 percent for the game, but made 8-of-20 3-point tries and sank 13-of-17 at the line.
 
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Herons host St. Lawrence. The Golden Knights will travel to RIT tomorrow. Both games are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.