POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—The Vassar women's basketball team used a strong second half to defeat William Smith 66-58 in a Liberty League matchup this afternoon. With the loss, the Herons fall to 0-2 in conference play, while the Brewers improved to 2-0 in the Liberty League.
 
Junior Miranda Martin led William Smith with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the loss. She added one assist and one steal for the Herons. Senior McKenzie Mandyck chipped in nine points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists for William Smith, while junior Ava Lobozzo added nine points, six rebounds and an assist. Junior Giana Lobozzo and first-year Kira Ostovar tallied eight points each in the setback. It was a career-high for Ostovar.
 
Vassar had four players tally double-digit points in the win and were led by Lindsey Shoulders with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Maureen Regan chipped in 14 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Sophia Ippolito added 13 points, two rebounds and two steals. Elodie Ware added 11 points and four rebounds for the Brewers.

TEAM TOTALS

• Rebounds: Vassar 46, William Smith 36
• Assists: Vassar 12, William Smith 9
• Turnovers: William Smith 20, Vassar 15
• Steals: Vassar 10, William Smith 6
• Blocked Shots: Vassar 4, William Smith 2

HERON STAT LEADERS

• Scoring: Miranda Martin 11, McKenzie Mandyck 9, Ava Lobozzo 9, Giana Lobozzo 8
• Rebounding: Miranda Martin 7, Ava Lobozzo 6, Giana Lobozzo 6, Jojo Sulmasy 5
• Assists: Giana Lobozzo 3, McKenzie Mandyck 2, Miranda Martin 1, Ava Lobozzo 1, Bridget McCleary 1, Eily Hubler 1 
• Steals: Giana Lobozzo 2, McKenzie Mandyck 2, Miranda Martin 1, Bridget McCleary 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Herons and Brewers traded the early points through the opening quarter. William Smith shot 45% from the floor in the first quarter, finding crucial points from its bench, while Vassar shot just 31% from the floor but scored a majority of its points from fast breaks, giving the Brewers a one-point lead heading into the second quarter.
• Despite Vassar pushing its lead to six points early in the second, William Smith fought back and hit back-to-back three pointers to keep the Herons in the game. A three-pointer by senior Carly Scott would give William Smith the lead in the second quarter but a layup by Vassar's Sophia Ippolito with four seconds remaining would tie the game at 32-32 heading into halftime.
• The back-and-forth battle continued in the opening minutes of the second half until an 11-2 scoring run by the Brewers would give the home team a nine-point lead. William Smith scored big points in the paint on second chance opportunities but remained six points behind heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
• The Herons continued to fight in the final quarter, shooting 41% from the floor but was matched by an efficient Brewer side that shot 47% from the floor. Vassar continued to push the pace and scored crucial points on fast break opportunities and in the paint. The Brewers would close out the conference battle on top 66-58 despite a valiant effort from the Herons.

FOR THE RECORD

• William Smith falls to 0-6 on the season with a 0-2 mark in Liberty League play.
• With the win, Vassar improves to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

UP NEXT
 
William Smith will be back in action Tuesday, Dec. 9, when it welcomes Liberty League foe, Ithaca, to Geneva. Action between the Herons and the Bombers is set for 5:30 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.