CANTON, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team earned its eighth consecutive win with a 64-57 Liberty League triumph at St. Lawrence University this afternoon. Senior Melanie Patterson led the Herons with a season-high 24 points and a game-high four assists.
 
A tight contest in the early going, William Smith carried a 12-11 edge into the second quarter thanks to junior Kendra Quinn-Moultrie's steal and breakaway layup in the waning seconds. The Saints' Kaelyn Kohlasch hit a 3-pointer just a head of the buzzer at the end of the second quarter to give the home team a 24-21 lead.
 
William Smith (13-3, 8-0) opened the second half scoring on an 11-5 run that included seven points from Patterson to take its own three-point lead. The game was tied three times over the next four minutes before the Herons finally seized control of the contest. SLU's Megan Hynes sank a pair of free throws with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, tying the game at 40.
 
Over the next eight minutes, William Smith used an 18-4 surge to build a 14-point lead. Sophomore Mia Morrison accounted for seven of her 16 points in the game during the run, while classmate Olivia Hughes scored all six of her points in the contest during the decisive push.
 
By the time the Saints (5-10, 2-5) snapped out of their offensive funk, just four minutes remained. They were able to outscore the Herons 13-4 over the next three-plus minutes, getting within five on a pair of free throws by Kohlasch with 19.8 seconds remaining. Patterson iced the game at the free throw line, making a pair with 18.8 seconds to go, completing the day's scoring.
 
William Smith shot 40 percent from the field, while limiting St. Lawrence to 33 percent shooting. The Herons were 12-of-17 at the free throw line while the Saints made all 16 of their freebies. William Smith enjoyed a slim 35-34 rebounding advantage thanks in large part to senior Alyssa DiCampli, who finished with a career-high 10 boards.
 
Cara Waterson and Shayna Davner paced SLU's scoring efforts with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Annabella Pugliese blocked a game-high six shots.
 
William Smith's eight-game winning streak is its longest since winning 13 in a row during the 2013-14 season. The Herons' win in Canton is their first since Feb. 12, 2011 (81-76), snapping a six-game slide.
 
William Smith will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 24, when the Herons visit RIT. Tipoff in Henrietta is scheduled for 6 p.m.