GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team will host the Rochester Institute of Technology at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Bristol Gymnasium. It will be the Herons' annual Play 4Kay game.
 
Play 4Kay is a national campaign to raise awareness and finance the fight against breast cancer sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Now in its ninth year, the annual event has generated nearly $4 million to fund research for all women's cancers.
 
William Smith will wear pink shooting jerseys during warmups and pink socks throughout the game and fans are encouraged to wear pink as well. Prior to tipoff, the Heron Athletic Department will present a $1,000 check to Embrace Yours Sisters. The funds have been raised through a variety of events including the department's Blue Jean Fridays and pink t-shirt sales. Embrace Your Sisters is a local, non-profit organization providing emergency financial assistance and support to people with breast cancer in the Finger Lakes Region.
 
In addition, Melissa Brown Butler '93, a William Smith basketball alumna who is battling breast cancer for the second time, will speak about her List Two movement. As a former point guard, Melissa is all about the assist. Her mission is to take the focus and energy off of cancer and onto something positive, a movement to choose healthy habits for life.
 
Information about List Two and Embrace Your Sisters will be available at tables near the entrance to the gym.
 
Admission to the game is free, but fans can make donations at the door to Embrace Your Sisters.
 
The game will be the final home game for seniors Chloe Hayter and Ali Pliszka. A two-time All-Liberty League selection, Hayter ranks in the top 10 in William Smith career history in free throw percentage (4th, .761), rebounds (5th, 776), free throws made (5th, 299), free throws attempted (5th, 393), points (7th, 1,235), field goals made (9th, 457), and field goals attempted (10th, 1,021). She leads the 2014-15 Herons in rebounds with 224, ninth on the Herons' single season list, one behind No. 8 Jennifer Goodell Cooper '97 (225 in 1994-95) and 12 out of sixth place which is shared by Ashlinn Barber '11 (236 in 2009-10) and Wendi Schoff '98 (236 in 1997-98).
 
The Herons and Tigers will be the first game of a doubleheader. At 8 p.m., Hobart College will host RIT in its final home game of the regular season. The Statesmen will also wear pink shooting jerseys during warmups and pink socks throughout the game.
 
Founded in 2007 as Think Pink, the initiative was renamed Pink Zone and later Play 4Kay, in memory of the late Kay Yow, women's basketball coach at N.C. State from 1975 to 2009. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away in 2009 after facing the disease for the third time.