The William Smith basketball team will be back in action twice this weekend as it opens 2025 with a nonconference game at Hamilton on Friday before welcoming Rensselaer to Bristol Gymnasium for a Liberty League showdown on Saturday. The Herons will face off against the Continentals at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3 and host the Engineers at 2 p.m. Jan. 4.

Fans who can't make it to Clinton, New York, on Friday can follow the action with live stats and video courtesy of athletics.hamilton.edu.

Fans who can't make it to Geneva on Saturday can follow the game with HWS All-Access Video and Live Stats. Saturday's game will also be broadcast on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva).

ABOUT THE HERONS: (0-8, 0-2 LL)

• William Smith returns to action following a 17-day holiday layoff.
• Sophomore Amelia McCulley is eighth in the Liberty League in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game. She is followed by sophomore Giana Lobozzo with 6.8 ppg. First-year Jojo Sulmasy, senior Molly Walsh and sophomore Ava Lobozzo all chip in 6.4 ppg.
• Sulmasy and McCulley lead the Herons in rebounding, grabbing 4.4 and 4.3 rebounds per game, respectively. Ava Lobozzo chips in 4.0 rpg and is followed by Giana Lobozzo with 3.8 boards per game.
• McCulley ranks eighth in the Liberty League in 3-pointers per game (1.5) and leads the conference in free throw percentage (.875) and blocked shots per game (1.9).
• Walsh dishes out a team-leading 2.5 assists per game which ranks 14th in the league.
• On the defensive end, Giana Lobozzo leads the team in steals, averaging 2.0 per game which ranks fifth in the Liberty League. First-year Anne Keneally and McCulley add 1.4 steals per game, tied for 14th in the league.

ABOUT THE CONTINENTALS: (9-2, 0-0 NESCAC)

• Hamilton is coming off a 71-43 win over Albion on Dec. 30.
• Taylor Lambo leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game. She is followed by Kendall Harris who averages 16.2 ppg.
• Lambo and Harris also lead the team in rebounding at 11.6 and 8.5 boards per game, respectively.
• Hannah Bernstein dishes out a team-leading 3.3 assists per game, while Harris forces 1.7 steals per game.

ABOUT THE ENGINEERS: (8-1, 2-0 LL)

• RPI is coming off a 71-46 win over Vermont State Castleton on Dec. 30 to close out 2024 and currently sits in first place in the Liberty League.
• Siena Smith leads the Engineers in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. She is followed by Amanda Gallagher who averages 9.6 ppg.
• Smith also leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.0 boards per game. She is followed by Julia Rowe and Callie Flynn who average 5.1 and 5.0 rpg, respectively.
• Tyler Hormazabal averages a team-leading 3.8 assists per game, while Smith forces 2.0 steals per game.

SERIES SNAPSHOT:

• This will be the 58th matchup between William Smith and Hamilton. The Herons lead the series 39-18, including a 20-8 edge in Clinton.
• Last time they met, the Continentals defeated the Herons 57-37 on Nov. 28, 2023, in Geneva. Walsh recorded seven points, three assists and one steal in the loss.
• This will be the 77th meeting between William Smith and RPI. The Herons lead the series 47-29, including a 27-10 edge in Geneva.
• Last season, William Smith and RPI split the series, with each side winning on their home court. The Herons defeated the Engineers 64-54 in Geneva before falling 74-55 in Troy.