GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team played St. Lawrence University even in the first half, but the Saints used a strong second half to pull away down the stretch. SLU posted a 69-48 Liberty League victory in Bristol Gym this evening.
 
The Herons got a pair of 16-point efforts from Olivia Parisi and Brooke Jarvis. Parisi also grabbed eight boards. Lauren DeVaney grabbed a team-high 10 boards for William Smith.
 
St. Lawrence's Ava McCann led all scorers with 19 points. Katie Frederick posted a double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds. Olivia Middleton gave the Saints 12 points off the bench.
 
SLU shot just 37.3% from the floor, but limited William Smith to 28.6% shooting. The Saints had the edge on the glass 48-33. The visitors cashed in on the Herons' 19 turnovers, outscoring William Smith 15-4 in points off turnovers.
 
The Saints scored the first six points of the game, but the Herons countered with an 11-2 run that gave them an 11-8 lead. McCann made a pull up jumper just ahead of the horn at the end of the first quarter to give the visitors a 14-13 lead.
 
Bolstered by an enthusiastic Alumnae Weekend crowd, William Smith dominated the first seven minutes of the second quarter, using a 15-6 run to go up 28-20. Parisi scored seven and Jarvis added six for the Herons. The Saints pulled tied the game by ending the half on a 9-1 run.
 
William Smith outrebounded St. Lawrence 27-21 in the first half, and outscored the Saints 18-10 in the paint. McCann led all scorers with 14 points after 20 minutes. Olivia Parisi paced the Herons with nine points.
 
Early in the third quarter, Jarvis connected from beyond the arc to give the Herons a 36-33 lead, but St. Lawrence, which is just a game out of first in the conference standings, found another gear. The Saints countered with 12 straight points and ended the quarter on a 14-2 run for a 47-38 lead heading into the final frame.
 
William Smith (4-14, 3-9) got within five in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Jarvis hit a 3-pointer and Maddie Patrick followed a Saints' free throw with a layup to make it a 48-43 game. The Herons went scoreless over the next two minutes while SLU put five more on the board for a 53-43 lead with under five minutes to go. Parisi ended the drought with an old-fashion 3-point play, but St. Lawrence (17-2, 11-2) ended the game on a 16-2 run to seal the victory.
 
William Smith's Saturday game against Clarkson has been postponed due to COVID safety protocols. The game will be made up on Feb. 14. The Herons' next game will be Tuesday, Feb. 8, when they travel to Geneseo for a 7 p.m. tipoff.