GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team suffered an ill-timed scoring drought that allowed visiting Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to eke out a 45-42 Liberty League win on the Herons' Senior Day in Bristol Gym this afternoon.
 
RPI's Amanda Lynch led all scorers with 20 points and added game-high six steals. Ashley Clough contributed 11 points and a game-high five assists. The Engineers committed just eight turnovers.
 
Senior Ali Pliszka led William Smith with 9 points and a team-high four assists. Sophomore Courtney Chase and Gabrielle Eure each chipped in 8 points. The Herons dominated the glass, grabbing a season-high 57 rebounds to RPI's 33. Senior Chloe Hayter collected a game-high 17 caroms and Eure added 10.
 
In the first half, William Smith led 12-10 with 9:12 left when the Herons went on a tear. Eure scored back-to-back baskets to kick off a 10-0 William Smith run. The Herons still led by 11 following a bucket by junior Lauren Brustein at the 2:59 mark, but the Engineers ended the half on an 10-1 run to go into the break trailing by just two, 25-23. Clough bookended the closing run with 3-pointers.
 
William Smith outrebounded RPI 31-18 in the first half. Clough led all scorers at the break with nine points, all from behind the arc. Pliszka led a balanced scoring effort for the Herons with 7 points.
 
William Smith stretched its lead to 33-25 with 6 straight points early in the second half. RPI cut that advantage to just 3 with 13:07 remaining, but a 7-2 run Heron run that ended with a Pliszka layup at 9:10 put the home team up 42-34. It was William Smith's final point of the game, as the Herons went 0-for-9 from the floor down the stretch and committed seven turnovers.
 
Lynch fueled the Engineers' comeback offensively, scoring six of her team's final 11 points. She tied the game at 42 with 5:17 remaining, but then RPI went cold as well. There wasn't another point in the game until just 85 seconds remained. Clough converted the go-ahead layup, followed by a free throw from Shaina Iton with just two seconds left.
 
William Smith (3-17, 2-10 LL) will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 13, when the Herons visit Bard. Rensselaer (12-9, 8-4 LL) will also be on the road next Friday, visiting Skidmore.