GENEVA, N.Y.—Sophomore Amelia McCulley scored a career-high 19 points, but the William Smith basketball team suffered a 78-66 loss to Fredonia in its season opener tonight. The Blue Devils were playing their third game of the season and remained unbeaten.

McCulley was 7-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, and made both of her free throws. She also grabbed four rebounds and blocked a game-high three shots. Senior Molly Walsh joined her in double digits, contributing 14 points. First-year Jojo Sulmasy was limited to just 13 minutes due to foul trouble, but still managed a team-high six rebounds and five points.

Fredonia was led by Allie Wandell's double-double on game-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds. She was 10-of-16 shooting with a 3-pointer. Payton Gilbert added 21 points and eight boards. Grace Alexander gave the visitors a third player in double figures, posting 17 points. Alexys Neckers chipped in six points, a game-high six assists and a game-high three steals.

KEY STATS

• Fredonia controlled the caroms, outrebounding William Smith 45-29. The Blue Devils owned a 17-11 advantage on the offensive glass.
• The Blue Devils also helped themselves at the free throw line, making more free throws (19) than the Herons attempted (16).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fredonia seized the lead early, using a 16-8 run during a five-minute span in the first quarter to build a 17-10 lead. Wandell had eight points during the push.
• A 15-2 run that spanned the first and second quarters stretched the Blue Devils' advantage to 36-21.
• Walsh hit a 3-pointer to complete the first half scoring, cutting Fredonia's lead to 43-33.
• At the break, Wandell had a game-high 16 points, while Walsh paced the Herons with 10.
• William Smith came out of halftime with a spark, closing to within five on Molly Walsh's driving layup in the waning seconds of the third quarter, but Alexander got off a 3-pointer at the buzzer that was good for a 56-48 lead with 10 minutes to play.
• The Blue Devils scored the first six points of the final frame and never let their lead dip below double digits the rest of the night. 

COACH'S COMMENTS

"The team showed significant growth from our scrimmages to our first game today," said first-year Heron Head Coach Seraphine Hamilton '06. "I think the most important piece was that their commitment to our team culture throughout the entire 40 minutes makes me completely confident that we're only going to keep getting better and better."

UP NEXT

• William Smith will be back in action Tuesday, Nov. 19, when the Herons make their first road trip of the season, visiting SUNY Geneseo. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.