GENEVA, N.Y.—Four William Smith College players recorded double digits in the scoring column to lead the Heron basketball team to a 69-53 Liberty League win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Bristol Gymnasium tonight. Junior
Mia Morrison led the charge with a game-high 19 points.
Limited to just two points in the first half, Morrison was 5-of-8 from the floor in the second half, knocking down a 3-pointer, and making 6-of-7 at the line. She also helped William Smith (11-8, 5-7) to a 40-36 rebounding advantage. Junior
Adrianne Torea scored a career-high 13 points off the bench. First-year
Juliana Gamboa made a bid for a triple-double, finishing with 11 points (all in the first half), a game-high nine rebounds, and a game-high six assists. Senior
Kendra Quinn-Moultrie chipped in 10 points.
Junior guard Sam Krumbhaar led Rensselaer (10-9, 6-6) with 10 points off the bench.
William Smith used a 10-2 run that spanned the first and second quarters, to turn a 1-point game into a 23-14 advantage. Gamboa had a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws during the push. Quinn-Moultrie capped the run with a triple of her own to make it 23-14 early in the second quarter. The Herons pushed their lead to as many as 10 before heading into halftime up 46-38.
Gamboa led all scorers with 11 points at the break.
The teams played an even third quarter, leaving the Herons 10 minutes to defend a 46-38 lead. Krumbhaar and senior Shaina Iton made back-to-back buckets to start the final frame, narrowing the margin to four, but that was as close as RPI got. Quinn-Moultrie answered with consecutive layups and Torea chipped in a third to push the Heron lead to 52-42.
Leading by seven as the clock ticked under five minutes, William Smith got successive field goals from Morrison, Torea and first-year
Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou that extended the lead to 13. The Herons led by no less than 11 for the remainder of the game.
William Smith will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 2, when the Herons host St. Lawrence. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
