GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith College led from the opening basket until the final buzzer in a 77-60 Liberty League women's basketball win over Rochester Institute of Technology this afternoon. The Herons were led by sophomore
Olivia Parisi's seventh double-double of the season.
Parisi dominated in the paint, making 11-of-19 shots for a game-high 22 points. She also guided the Herons to a 46-30 rebounding advantage, corralling a game-high 11 caroms. Sophomore
Stella Davis added 18 points, including 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. First-year
Lauren DeVaney gave the Herons three players in double digits, netting 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a 5-of-6 effort at the free throw line.
William Smith (10-8, 6-5) shot 42.3% from the floor, 31% from 3-point range, and 80% at the line. The Herons played unselfish all game, assisting on 22 of 30 made baskets. Seniors
Emma Gallagher and
Annaliese Schreder and junior
Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou shared game-high honors with four helpers apiece.
Sophomore Alyssa Juergens was the only Tiger in double figures, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a 3-pointer. First-year Kaleesha Joeseph grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. RIT (8-10, 6-5) shot 36.7% from the floor, 35% beyond the arc and just 52.9% at the line.
William Smith came out hot, building a 12-2 early lead. Davis and Gallagher led the opening charge with five points apiece. During the opening six minutes, RIT struggled to find its shooting touch, making just one of its first nine shots from the floor. The Herons led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Tigers scored seven straight points to make it a 24-20 game, but William Smith ended the half on a 9-2 run that included four points from DeVaney. The Herons, led by Parisi's game-highs of 10 points and six rebounds, enjoyed a 33-22 lead at the break.
Juergens made a jumper to open the second half scoring and cut William Smith's lead to nine. Davis and DeVaney followed with consecutive buckets to push the Herons' lead back into double digits where it remained until the final two minutes of the contest.
RIT trailed 68-50 with three minutes to go, but first-year Holland Gillish hit back-to-back 3s and junior Nicole Desimone hit from distance to make it a nine point game with about a minute and a half to go. Dimitrakopoulou stopped the run with a trey of her own, to quell the threat.
The Herons continue conference play Tuesday, Feb. 4, hosting Union (8-9, 5-6) at 6 p.m.
