GENEVA, N.Y.—The third-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology used a strong second half to pull away from second-seeded William Smith College in a Liberty League Tournament semifinal played in Bristol Gym tonight. The Tigers got a game-high 18 points from sophomore Cori Okada to advance to the championship game.
 
RIT (18-8) led 28-24 at halftime, one week after carrying a 48-29 lead into the locker room. The Tiger sophomore Tara Lynch and the Heron senior Melanie Patterson each had 10 points in the first half. Just seven days ago, RIT shot 67 percent from the field in the first half, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. Tonight, the Tigers shot just 32 percent from the field and made 2-of-7 from deep.
 
In the third quarter, Patterson opened the scoring with a layup to make it a two-point game, but RIT countered with six straight points to stretch its lead to eight. Senior Taylor Burns got the run started with a layup, junior Jessica Glaz followed with another layup and Okada capped the run with a pair of free throws. Sophomore Olivia Hughes made a 3-pointer to get William Smith within five, but RIT extended its lead to 13 by the end of the quarter.
 
Both teams struggled shooting-wise in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers did enough to get the win, outscoring the Herons 10-6.
 
Okada was 6-of-12 from the floor with a 3-pointer and 1-of-2 at the line. She also had a team-high four assists and a game-high three steals. Lynch finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Glaz scored nine points and Burns added eight.
 
Patterson was the only Heron to hit double figures, making 8-of-11 shots from the floor with a 3-pointer for 17 points. Hughes contributed three points, five rebounds, a team-high four assists, and a team-high two steals. Sophomore Mia Morrison just missed a double-double, producing eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
William Smith finished the season with a 17-9 record, a seven-win improvement over last season.

The Tigers will host fourth-seeded Clarkson, which upset regular season champion Skidmore, in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25.