GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team remained unbeaten in Liberty League play with a 72-58 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Bristol Gym tonight. The Herons pulled away from the Engineers down the stretch, finishing the game on an 18-4 run.
 
William Smith senior guard Melanie Patterson finished with a team-high 17 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Natalia Baum added 15 points, five rebounds, a team-high four assists, and a team-high three steals. Sophomore forward Mia Morrison also reached double digits, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven boards, to share team-high rebounding honors with senior forward Mary Buck.
 
RPI junior forward Shaina Iton posted game-highs of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Junior forward Kate Goodell was the only other Engineer in double figures, logging 10 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Lauren Young had a game-high six assists, while sophomore guard Sam Krumbhaar registered a game-high six steals.
 
RPI held a 15-12 lead after the first quarter with Iton, Goodell and Ines Ortea each registering four points.
 
William Smith took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring Rensselaer by 13 points (23-10) for a 10-point lead (35-25) at halftime. After the Engineers took a 21-15 lead with 7:50 to play in the half, the Herons went on a 20-4 run to end the frame with the upper hand. Baum scored seven points with two assists and senior forward Krista Anken notched six points in that stretch.
 
Anken (8 first half points) and Baum (11) were a combined 8-of-14 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but the rest of the Herons struggled, shooting just 6-of-27. Goodell paced the Engineers with eight first half points.
 
Iton scored RPI's first eight points of the third quarter, but the Herons answered each basket and led by nine points, 42-33, with 6:04 remaining in the period. The margin was 12 points (48-36) at 2:33 and continued to be at least eight points the rest of the frame.
 
The Engineers battled to tie the score at 54-54 and again at 56-56 in the fourth quarter, but a 12-0 spurt by the home team, including seven straight points from Patterson, put William Smith ahead 68-56. The margin settled on 14 points thanks to the Herons making their free throws at the end.
 
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 14, when the Herons host Skidmore at 2 p.m. Rensselaer will travel to RIT tomorrow for a 2 p.m. tipoff.