GENEVA, N.Y.—Fourth-seeded William Smith College advanced to the semifinals of the Liberty League Women's Basketball Tournament with a 65-50 win over fifth-seeded Union College in Bristol Gymnasium tonight. The Herons got a game and career-high 19 points from senior Olivia Hughes.
 
Hughes was 8-of-14 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. William Smith (17-8) trailed for most of the first half, but as Hughes heated up in the second half, the Herons rallied to beat the Dutchwomen for the first time this season. She scored nine points in the third quarter as William Smith whittled its deficit down to just one. In the fourth quarter, Hughes added five more points and fellow senior Mia Morrison caught fire, pouring in 10 of her 17 points to complete the comeback. All nine Herons that entered the game contributed at least two points and at least one rebound to the winning effort.
 
William Smith, which entered the game third in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounded Union 41-29. The Herons grabbed 20 offensive boards to just four for the Dutchwomen, which led to a 23-1 advantage in second chance points. Morrison led the way on the glass, corralling a game-high 11 boards.
 
The opening 10 minutes were tight from start to finish with the Dutchwomen carrying a 13-12 lead into the second quarter. Union got a little bit of separation going into halftime with a 10-2 run. Joana Santos scored all five of her first half points during the surge, helping the visitors take a 25-18 lead. She finished the game with seven points.
 
The Dutchwomen led 27-21 at the half. Sophie Borg led all scorers with seven. Union shot 46 percent from the floor, while limiting William Smith to 30 percent shooting.
 
Hughes scored William Smith's first seven points of the second half. The Herons seized control of the game with a string of 12 straight points that spanned the third and fourth quarters. Dimitrakopoulou began to turn the momentum in William Smith's favor with a 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the third. Morrison followed with a layup 40 seconds later to make it a 1-point game entering the final frame.
 
Morrison and Dimitrakopoulou made buckets to start the fourth followed by an old fashion 3-point play by first-year Olivia Parisi that gave the Herons a 45-39 lead. Parisi contributed seven points, five rebounds and a game and career-high five assists.
 
From that point on, Union's offense wasn't able to string together consecutive baskets. Over the final six minutes, William Smith outscored the visitors 20-9 with Morrison (8) and Hughes (5) combined for 13 of those points.
 
Borg finished with a team-high 14 points and was joined in double digits by first-year Amber Raisner who scored 13 points. Senior Nicole Conley chipped in eight points, a team-high six rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots.
 
William Smith advances to the semifinal round at Ithaca College. The Herons will take on the top-seeded Bombers (20-5) at noon on Saturday, Feb. 23. The teams split their regular season meetings with Ithaca prevailing 64-58 on its home floor.
 
Union ends its season with a 16-9 record.