CANTON, N.Y.—St. Lawrence University used a strong individual performance in the post and pair of hot 3-point shooters to defeat William Smith College 65-56 in Liberty League women's basketball tonight.
 
The Saints' Ellie Gonyeau was 8-of-13 shooting and made both of her free throw attempts for a game-high 18 points. From the perimeter, Kaelyn Kohlasch and Shayna Danver combined to make seven 3-pointers. Kohlasch score 14 points while Danver added 9. Lauren Quatrocchi chipped in 11 points.
 
Melanie Patterson led the Herons with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Gabrielle Eure posted her third consecutive double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 boards. Despite first half foul trouble, Mia Morrison added 10 points.
 
William Smith ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run, including 7 from Patterson, to take a 19-14 lead. In the second quarter, the momentum swung back in St. Lawrence's favor. The home team outscored the visitors 13-7 to carry a 27-26 lead into halftime.
 
Kohlasch opened the second half scoring with back-to-back 3-pointer, kick-starting a 12-3 run that gave SLU a 10-point lead. Midway through the third quarter, Kendra Quinn-Moultrie hit a 3-pointer followed by a layup by Morrison to get the Herons within 5, but Gonyeau hit a pair of free throws and Quatrocchi converted a layup to push the Saints' lead back to 9.
 
A 12-4 St. Lawrence run in the middle of the fourth quarter put the game out of reach. Kohlasch hit a pair of triples during the surge that turned an 8-point game into a 16-point Saints lead with just four minutes remaining.
 
St. Lawrence (9-3, 3-1 Liberty League) shot 35 percent from the floor with nine 3-pointers. William Smith shot 32 percent from the floor with three 3-pointers. The Herons made more free throws (11) than the Saints attempted (10) and enjoyed a 56-40 advantage on the glass. SLU converted 19 William Smith turnovers into 18 points.
 
The Herons (4-7, 2-1) will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 16, when they take on Clarkson in Potsdam.