GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team used a 13-3 run to end the third quarter with a 50-44 lead over visiting St. John Fisher College on the way to a 71-59 non-conference win in Bristol Gym tonight. Heron senior guard Melanie Patterson led all scorers with a season-high 19 points.
 
Cardinal sophomore forward Alyssa Robens made a free throw with 3:38 remaining in the third to give the visitors a 4-point lead. At the other end of the floor, senior forward Krista Anken converted a traditional 3-point play to cut the Herons' deficit to one. St. John Fisher missed a 3-pointer on their next possession and sophomore forward Mia Morrison corralled the rebound. Sophomore guard Cassidy Carrafiello gave William Smith the lead by sinking the team's first 3-pointer of the night. She was fouled on the play and made the freebie for a 44-41 advantage.
 
St. John Fisher (2-3) fought back to tie the game at 44 with about two minutes remaining, but sophomore guard Olivia Hughes, Patterson, and Baum made consecutive layups to send the home team into the final 10 minutes with a 6-point lead.
 
William Smith (3-2) kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter, using an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to 58-46. The Cardinals got within eight near the six-minute mark, but Eure converted an old fashion 3-point play to push the lead back in to double digits. The Herons kept the visitor's at arm's length from that point on.
 
The game was tied at 19 at the end of the first quarter and knotted at 39 entering halftime.
 
William Smith shot 43 percent from the floor, including 52 percent in the second half. Outside of Carrafiello's big 4-point play, the Herons struggled from 3-point range, making just 2-of-13. William Smith shot 68 percent at the free throw line.
 
Patterson was 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and made 5-of-6 at the line. She also logged five steals. Eure produced a double-double on 15 points, including 7-of-8 shooting from the field, and a game-high 11 rebounds. Morrison chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, a game-high six steals, and two blocked shots.
 
St. John Fisher was limited to 39 percent shooting from the field, 13 percent from 3-point range, and 67 percent at the line.
 
Junior guard Caroline Robertson led St. John Fisher with 13 points. Senior guard Emily Piacentini and junior forward Nicole Robinson each scored 10 points.
 
William Smith will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 6 when it hosts Brockport at 6 p.m. St. John Fisher will return home to host No. 11 Rochester at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2.