GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team dropped a midweek matchup to Liberty League foe, Ithaca, this afternoon. The Herons fell 81-40 to the Bombers and drop to 0-3 in conference play.
Two Herons dropped double-digit points in the setback. Junior
Ava Lobozzo and senior
Carly Scott led William Smith with 11 points each.
Ava Lobozzo shot 4-for-8 from the free throw line and added three rebounds, one steal and one assist, while Scott shot 3-for-8 from behind the arc and added five rebounds, and one steal. Senior
McKenzie Mandyck chipped in seven points and a steal for the Herons.
Ithaca was led by Madison Gill and Kenzie Perluke's 11 points each. The duo combined for six rebounds, six steals and two blocks in the win. Mary Bernat added seven points and a team-high eight rebounds off the bench for the Bombers.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: Ithaca 51, William Smith 30
- Assists: Ithaca 20, William Smith 5
- Turnovers: William Smith 17, Ithaca 14
- Steals: Ithaca 13, William Smith 12
- Blocked Shots: Ithaca 4, William Smith 1
HERON STAT LEADERS
- Scoring: Ava Lobozzo 11, Carly Scott 11, McKenzie Mandyck 7, Giana Lobozzo 4, Eily Hubler 4
- Rebounding: Miranda Martin 5, Carly Scott 5, Ava Lobozzo 3, Dani Krenzer 2, Jojo Sulmasy 2
- Assists: Giana Lobozzo 2, Jojo Sulmasy 2, Ava Lobozzo 1
- Steals: Giana Lobozzo 4, Miranda Martin 2, Ava Lobozzo 1, Bridget McCleary 1, McKenzie Mandyck 1, Ella Pysnack 1, Eily Hubler 1, Carly Scott 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- William Smith jumped out to an early lead before Ithaca bounced back in the early minutes. The two sides traded the early points, forcing 11 lead changes in the opening quarter. The Herons found the hot hand from behind the arc, shooting 4-for-5 from three to close out the first quarter down 20-19.
- The Bombers grabbed the momentum in the second quarter, outscoring the Herons 21-7 in the 10-minute quarter. William Smith struggled to score as Ithaca turned up the pressure and forced five Heron turnovers. The Bombers shot 53% from the floor to grab a 41-26 lead heading into halftime.
- Ithaca came out hot to start the second half and shot 56% from the floor, while holding William Smith to just 16% in the third quarter. The Bombers grabbed 19 boards and found crucial points from its bench to extend its lead to 33 heading into the final frame.
- The Herons settled in defensively in the final quarter but continued to struggle running its offense as the Bombers forced a fast-paced final quarter. First-year Eily Hubler produced a spark off the bench for William Smith, but Ithaca used strong defensive efforts and sharp shooting from the free throw line to close out the conference contest on top, 81-40.
FOR THE RECORD
- William Smith falls to 0-7 on the season with a 0-3 mark in conference play.
- With the win, Ithaca improves to 4-5 overall with a 2-1 record in the Liberty League.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 20, when it closes out 2025 with a nonconference showdown with FDU-Florham. Action between the Herons and the Devils is set for 6 p.m. in Madison, New Jersey.
