The William Smith College basketball team will play its final home game of the regular season at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, hosting Liberty League foe Rochester Institute of Technology in Bristol Gym. The Play4Kay game will join basketball programs across the country, raising awareness and funding for the fight against cancer.
 
William Smith is 16-7 overall and sits in second place in the Liberty League with a 10-4 record. The Tigers bring a 15-8 overall record and an 8-6 league mark to Geneva. RIT is one of three teams tied for fourth place. The top four teams in the final regular season standings make the Liberty League Championship Tournament.
 
The Herons will wear pink shooting jerseys during warmups, all with the last name Burke on them to honor the life of Kristina Burke. For the past several seasons, William Smith has had two special teammates through Camp Good Days, one of whom is Kaylynn Burke. Kristina was Kaylynn's mother and passed away in October after a courageous fight against cancer.
 
Fans are encouraged to wear pink as well. Admission to the game is free, but fans can make a donation that will be presented to the local breast cancer charity, Embrace Your Sisters.
 
In addition to accepting donations from fans for EYS, William Smith basketball is pledging an hour of volunteer time to EYS for every 3-pointer they make against the Tigers.
 
Throughout the year, the Heron Athletic Department raises funds for Embrace Your Sisters through a variety of events including the department's Blue Jean Fridays and pink t-shirt sales. Embrace Your Sisters is a local, non-profit organization providing emergency financial assistance and support to people with breast cancer in the Finger Lakes Region.
 
Play4Kay is a national campaign to raise awareness and finance the fight against breast cancer sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Now in its 10th year, the annual event has generated more than $5 million to fund research for all women's cancers.
 
Founded in 2007 as Think Pink, the initiative was renamed Pink Zone and later Play 4Kay, in memory of the late Kay Yow, women's basketball coach at N.C. State from 1975 to 2009. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away in 2009 after facing the disease for the third time.
 
At halftime of the game, William Smith Athletics will celebrate the academic accomplishments of the 2016 Heron spring and fall sports student-athletes.