TROY, N.Y.— Sophomore Amelia McCulley's 12 points and three blocks led the William Smith basketball team as it fell to Rensselaer 73-42 in a midweek Liberty League matchup in ECAV Arena this evening.

Along with her 12 points and three blocks, McCulley also tallied three rebounds and one assist to lead the Herons in the loss. Sophomore Ava Lobozzo chipped in eight points and a game-high nine rebounds for William Smith. Classmate Miranda Martin came off the bench and added seven points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal against the Engineers.

RPI was led by a trio of players with double-digit points. Siena Smith led all players with 17 points, four rebounds and two blocks, while Callie Flynn added 16 points and seven rebounds. Tyler Hormazabal chipped in 13 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds to lead the Engineers to victory.

TEAM TOTALS

• Rebounds: RPI 44, William Smith 38
• Assists: RPI 18, William Smith 7
• Turnovers: William Smith 25, RPI 13
• Steals: RPI 16, William Smith 5
• Blocked Shots: RPI 6, William Smith 3

HERON STAT LEADERS

• Scoring: Amelia McCulley 12, Ava Lobozzo 8, Miranda Martin 7, Anne Keneally 5
• Rebounding: Ava Lobozzo 9, Jojo Sulmasy 6, Anne Keneally 4, Miranda Martin 4
• Assists: Anne Keneally 2, Molly Walsh 1, Giana Lobozzo 1, Amelia McCulley 1, Carly Scott 1, Miranda Martin 1
• Steals: Anne Keneally 2, Ava Lobozzo 1, Carly Scott, Miranda Martin 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Engineers jumped out to a 14-0 lead to open the game before a Grace O'Connor layup ended the scoring streak for RPI. The Engineers caught the hot hand early and shot 64.3% from the floor, while keeping the Herons to just four points in the opening quarter.
• William Smith stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring RPI 20-10 to bring the Herons within 10 heading into half time. McCulley led the team with eight points and three blocks in the second quarter in hopes of grabbing the momentum of the game heading into the second half.
• The third quarter was the most competitive 10 minutes between the two sides as the teams traded the momentum. William Smith rebounded well in the third and found seven points from its bench, including crucial points from Martin to stay in the game. The Engineers scored 12 points in the paint and would maintain a 15-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
• RPI caught the hot hand once again in the fourth quarter and combined for 23 points as a team while shooting 53% from the floor. The Herons tried to fight back but couldn't maintain possession as they were forced into several difficult shots. The Engineers used sharp shooting and the clock to their advantage as they closed out the conference matchup on top.

FOR THE RECORD

• After splitting the series with the Engineers, William Smith falls to 1-12 on the season and 1-5 in Liberty League play.
• RPI moves to 9-4 overall with a 3-3 mark in conference play.

UP NEXT
 
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Jan. 17, when it begins its three-game road trip with a Liberty League matchup against Bard. Action between the Herons and the Raptors is set to start at 5:30 in Stevenson Athletic Center.