ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Lobozzo sisters led the William Smith basketball team as it dropped its conference opener this afternoon to Bard 62-49. With the loss the Herons fall to 0-1 in Liberty League play while the Raptors improve to 1-0.
Junior
Giana Lobozzo led William Smith with 12 points, seven rebounds, and one block, while junior
Ava Lobozzo added nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds, including four offensive rebounds, and one block in the loss. Senior
McKenzie Mandyck chipped in seven points and four rebounds for the Herons.
Erin Tobes led Bard with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. She added six assists and one steal and shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Morgan Kottka added 13 points, three steals and two rebounds for the Raptors.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: William Smith 45, Bard 38
- Assists: Bard 15, William Smith 11
- Turnovers: William Smith 21, Bard 13
- Steals: Bard 13, William Smith 2
- Blocked Shots: William Smith 4, Bard 2
HERON STAT LEADERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- William Smith came out quick, pushing the tempo and scoring the first four points of the game. Bard responded well and caught the hot hand from behind the arc to storm out to a six-point lead. Back-to-back late layups by sophomore Jojo Sulmasy kept the Herons in the game but the Raptors maintained the momentum and closed out the opening quarter on top 13-8.
- Bard carried its momentum into the second quarter as it continued its sharp shooting from behind the arc to maintain its lead. William Smith continued to push the tempo, scoring crucial points on the fast break to keep them in the game. A 9-0 run by the Herons tied the game at 24-24 before a deep three from Bard's Tianna Gonzalez gave the Raptors a three-point lead heading into halftime.
- William Smith opened the second half on a 10-1 run after an offensive spark from senior McKenzie Mandyck's deep three to grab the lead. Bard answered with a scoring run of their own, holding the Herons to just four points in the remaining six minutes of the quarter. A Jessica Martin buzzer beater gave the Raptors a three-point lead heading into the final quarter.
- Bard used the late offensive spark and grabbed the momentum for a majority of the fourth quarter. The Raptors used sharp shooting, including 10-for-12 from the free throw line and 50% from behind the arc to combine for 21 points, while holding the Herons to just 11 points, shutting down their comeback efforts. Bard closed out the conference thriller on top 62-49.
FOR THE RECORD
- The Herons fall to 0-5 on the season with the loss.
- With the win, the Raptors improve to 3-4 on the season. It is the first time Bard has defeated William Smith in program history.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow as it completes its five-game road trip with a Liberty League matchup with Vassar. Action between the Herons and the Brewers is set for 2 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, New York.
