GENEVA, N.Y.—A fast start propelled the William Smith College basketball team to a 68-59 Liberty League win over St. Lawrence University in Bristol Gym this afternoon. The win moved the Herons into a tie for fourth place in the league with the Saints.
 
First-year Mia Morrison scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds for William Smith. Junior Melanie Patterson added 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Sophomore Kendra Quinn-Moultrie contributed 10 points. Junior Gabrielle Eure pulled down a game-high nine boards to lead the Herons to a 49-38 advantage on the glass. William Smith used those extra rebounds to outscore SLU 15-5 in second chance points.
 
St. Lawrence senior Lauren Quattrocchi had 17 points and six assists, both team highs. Sophomore Kaelyn Kohlasch and Jenny Scudder chipped in 16 and 10 points, respectively.
 
William Smith scored the first 13 points of the game and outscored the visitors 17-2 in the first quarter. St. Lawrence shot 1-of-17 from the floor in the first period.
 
The teams played the second quarter to a 13-all stalemate and the Herons took a 30-15 lead into halftime. Quinn-Moultrie led all scorers with 8 points at the intermission.
 
William Smith started the third quarter on an 8-0 run stretching its lead to a game-high 23. First-year Olivia Hughes started the run with a 3-pointer followed by a jumper and a 3-pointer by Patterson. St. Lawrence broke the run with three consecutive triples and in a three minute span used a 14-2 run to close the gap to 11. The Herons pushed their lead back out to 17 before carrying a 48-33 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
St. Lawrence opened the fourth on a 17-7 run. Quattrocchi's layup with three and a half minutes remaining made it a 55-50 game. William Smith struck back with 7 of the next 9 points to reclaim a double digit lead. The Saints made one more push, closing to within 4, 63-59, on another Quattrocchi layup with 29 seconds left. SLU fouled Patterson and she made the first, but the second was off the mark. Morrison swooped in and grabbed the rebound, converting it into a layup and a 7-point lead. St. Lawrence turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and Quinn-Moultrie completed the day's scoring with a pair of free throws.
 
William Smith will make its final road trip of the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when the Herons visit RIT. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.