GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team used a 63-38 rebounding advantage to hand Liberty League foe Ithaca College its first league loss 76-69 in overtime in Bristol Gym this afternoon. Heron senior Mia Morrison dominated the paint scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds.
 
Morrison earned more than half of her points at the free throw line, knocking down 12-of-17 at the stripe. She grabbed a team-high five offensive boards, one fewer than Ithaca had as a team. William Smith totaled 23 caroms on the offensive glass, leading to a 21-5 advantage in second chance points.
 
Sophomore Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou added 18 points to the winning effort, canning a game-high four 3-pointers. Senior Olivia Hughes contributed a season-high 16 points. Sophomore Juliana Gamboa doled out a team-high six assists.
 
Ithaca also had three players in double figures. Senior Annie Giannone posted team-highs of 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior Kellyanne O'Reilly and senior Allie Tunick chipped in 13 points and 10 points, respectively.
 
Ithaca used a 10-0 run to build the biggest lead of the opening half for either team. O'Reilly fueled the scoring burst with eight points. William Smith countered with a 10-0 run of its own to end the first half trailing by just one, 30-29. Dimitrakopoulou hit a pair of 3-pointers and Hughes made a pair of jumpers to account for the scoring.
 
The Bombers got a traditional 3-point play from Giannone and a long-range triple from sophomore Grace Cannon to start the second half scoring and open a seven-point lead. The Herons wiped out the lead with a pair of Morrison free throws, a 3-pointer by Dimitrakopoulou and a layup from junior Emma Gallagher on consecutive trips down the floor.
 
From that point through the end of regulation, neither team led by more than four points. William Smith carried a three-point lead into the final minute, but Giannone made 1-of-2 at the free throw line and tied the game on a short jumper with 18 seconds to go.
 
The Herons had the final shot of regulation, but Hughes 3-pointer was off the mark. The teams headed to overtime tied at 59.
 
Ithaca took its only lead of the extra session when Tunick made the front end of a two-shot foul. Morrison struck back with a mid-range jumper and, after a defensive stop, a 3-pointer for a 64-60 lead.
 
Tunick forged the last of eight ties in the game on a 3-pointer midway through OT. Over the next two minutes, William Smith outscored Ithaca 10-1 to build a 74-65 lead with under 30 seconds remaining. Dimitrakopoulou kick-started the decisive run with a driving layup followed by a 3-pointer.
 
William Smith (5-5, 1-3) will close out its three-game homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 8. The Herons will host Rensselaer (7-4, 2-2) at 5 p.m. Ithaca (8-3, 3-1) will wrap up a five-game road swing on the same day at RIT (8-2, 3-1).