GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith College junior Melanie Patterson scored a game-high 15 points, but Union College put four players in double figures to take a 66-52 Liberty League victory in Bristol Gym tonight. With the win, the Dutchwomen clinched a spot in the four-team Liberty League Tournament and eliminated the Herons.
 
Patterson was 6-of-12 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 at the line. She also had four assists. Junior forward Gabrielle Eure added 11 points.
 
Junior Natalie Leone led the Dutchwomen with 13 points while junior Abby Katz, senior Cailin Schmeer, and sophomore Jenni Barra each scored 10 points.
 
Union (16-7, 10-5) built a 6-point lead six minutes into the game, but William Smith scored the next 9 points and carried a 17-16 lead into the second quarter. The Dutchwomen used a 10-2 run at the end of the half for a 34-24 lead. Union senior Amy Fisher had a game-high 8 points in the first half. Junior Gabrielle Eure led the Herons with 6 points, but was limited to nine minutes due to foul trouble.
 
The Dutchwomen shot 54 percent from the floor, including 3-of-4 from deep, in the opening 20 minutes. The Herons shot just 23 percent in the first half.
 
In the third quarter, Union led by as many as 12 and William Smith got as close as 6, but in the end the quarter was a draw with the Dutchwomen taking a 47-37 lead into the final frame.
 
Eure made the first basket of the fourth quarter to make it a 47-39 game, but Union used an 11-4 run to push its lead back into double digits where it stayed for the remainder of the contest.
 
The Dutchwomen cooled off a bit in the second half, shooting 40 percent from the floor. William Smith (10-14, 8-8) also shot 40 percent in the second half, going 3-of-8 from behind the arc.
 
Union enjoyed a 39-26 advantage on the glass. Junior Erin Lyons pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go with 9 points.
 
Union will wrap up the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 21 at home against RIT.