GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team made a tremendous effort to trim a 25-point deficit down to just 3 in the second half, but ultimately ran out of time as Clarkson University escaped Bristol Gym with a 60-52 win.
 
The Herons got a team-high 15 points and four assists from junior Melanie Patterson. Junior Gabrielle Eure and first-year Mia Morrison each contributed double-doubles. Morrison had 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Eure added 10 points and 11 boards. William Smith outrebounded Clarkson 51-37.
 
The Golden Knights got game-highs of 19 points, 16 rebounds, and six steals from Ashley Loggins. Stephanie Grobe netted 16 points and Devin Sorell added 15 points. CU committed 13 fewer turnovers than the home team (10-23) and had a 20-11 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Clarkson ended the first quarter on a 14-3 run. The Golden Knights started the run with back-to-back traditional 3-point plays by Stephanie Grobe and Alyssia Marsal. William Smith answered with a 3-pointer from Alyssa DiCampli, but Clarkson scored the final eight points of the frame for a 20-8 lead after one.
 
Gabrielle Eure started the second quarter scoring with a layup, that cut the Knights' lead to 10, but the Herons got no closer, going into halftime trailing 38-18. CU's Ashley Loggins led all scorers with 12 points at the break.
 
Clarkson scored the first 5 points of the second half to build their largest lead of the game, 43-18. Over the next six minutes, William Smith outscored the visitors 15-6, whittling its deficit down to 16 with 10 minutes to go. Melanie Patterson scored 7 points during the push.
 
Grobe hit a jumper one minute into the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 17-point lead, but then the Herons kicked their rally into high gear. During a seven-minute span, William Smith used a 17-3 run to get within a single possession, 55-52, with 2:10 remaining. It was a balanced effort that got the Herons back in the game with six different players scoring in the run.
 
After Gabrielle Eure's free throws made it a 3-point game, William Smith got a stop on the defensive end and had a chance to cut it to 1, but Patterson's driving layup attempt spun off the rim and Loggins secured the rebound and later made a basket at the other end of the floor for a 5-point lead with 73 seconds remaining. Clarkson made just 3-of-10 at the charity stripe down the stretch, but it was enough to earn the team's 13th straight win.
 
William Smith (9-12, 7-6) will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 13, when the Herons host St. Lawrence (15-7, 8-5) at 2 p.m. With a Liberty League playoff spot secured, Clarkson (18-4, 11-2) will travel to RIT (18-4, 11-2) for a 2 p.m. tip at RIT on Saturday.