ROCHESTER, N.Y.— Senior guard
Brooke Jarvis earned her fourth double-double of the season as the William Smith College basketball team fell in a conference thriller, 77-75, to RIT. The Herons fall to 1-10 overall and 1-3 in conference play while the Tigers move to 4-6 overall with a 3-0 mark in the Liberty League.
Jarvis led William Smith with 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks while first-year
Miranda Martin continued to impress with 16 points and two rebounds. Sophomore
Mara Bledsoe played a crucial role for the Herons as she grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and added a season high nine points. Junior
Maddie Patrick shined for William Smith defensively, grabbing eight rebounds while blocking a season-high five shots.
Emma Waite led the Tigers with 19 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals in the conference clash.
KEY STATS
- Rebounds: William Smith 51, RIT 41
- Blocked shots: William Smith 8, RIT 2
- Points in the paint: William Smith 40, RIT 34
- Second chance points: William Smith 14, RIT 11
HERON STAT LEADERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- William Smith applied early pressure causing two turnovers for RIT before Martin opened the scoring with a driving layup.
- Patrick tallied three early blocks including back-to-back blocks to keep a two-point lead for the Herons.
- A three-point play by Martin and two free throws by Jarvis gave William Smith a five-point lead in the opening quarter.
- Jarvis and junior Molly Walsh hit back-to-back threes to give the Herons a 17-7 lead before a 6-0 run by the Tigers cut into the deficit.
- Jarvis added three more points as time expired to give William Smith a 22-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
- First-year Ava Lobozzo converted a driving layup to open the Herons scoring in the second to extend their lead which was followed by back-to-back threes by Walsh and sophomore Carly Scott to give William Smith a 10-point lead.
- After back-and-forth action that saw RIT chip into William Smith's lead, the Tigers responded with a 5-0 run to close out the half. Waite hit a buzzer beater to tie the game at 43-43 heading into half.
SECOND HALF
- RIT opened the second half with two free throws to give the Tigers their first lead of the game.
- Lobozzo answered with a quick layup which was followed by a 7-0 run. First-year Amelia McCulley answered with a 4-0 run to keep the Herons within seven as both sides produced their lowest scoring quarters of the game.
- Bledsoe was an offensive spark in the fourth quarter and opened an 8-0 run for the Herons with four points and three big offensive rebounds.
- Patrick converted a layup to tie the game at 61-61 with 6:35 remaining which sparked a back-and-forth battle between the Herons and the Tigers that saw seven ties and five lead changes.
- RIT saw a 5-0 run with 2:55 remaining forcing a William Smith timeout. The Herons came out of the timeout with a 5-0 run of their own thanks to a layup from Lobozzo and a three-point play from Bledsoe.
- The Tigers held a three-point lead with 15 seconds remaining and the ball at the free throw line. RIT missed both free throws, giving the Herons an opportunity to strike back.
- William Smith drew up a solid play that saw Patrick convert a layup with four seconds remaining to bring the Herons within one.
- William Smith was forced to foul, but the Tigers only made one of two from the line keeping the Herons hopes alive.
- RIT stood tall defensively, forcing a last second turnover to close out the contest on top 77-75.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow when it heads to Ithaca for another Liberty League matchup. Action between the Herons and the Bombers is set for 2 p.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium.
