GENEVA, N.Y.— The William Smith basketball team's late comeback fell short as it dropped a conference matchup with Skidmore 56-45 this afternoon in Bristol Gymnasium.

Sophomore Amelia McCulley led the Herons with 13 points and six rebounds in the loss. She added a career-high four blocks and one steal for the Herons. Classmate Ava Lobozzo and junior Carly Scott chipped in eight points each in the setback. Lobozzo grabbed a career-high 10 boards, while Scott shot 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Sophomore Giana Lobozzo added six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the loss.

Skidmore was led by Cassie Davidson and Sarah Chambers with 15 points each in the win. The duo combined for 16 rebounds, eight steals and three assists for the Thoroughbreds. Becca Horger added 10 points, five steals, three assists and two rebounds in the conference victory.

TEAM TOTALS

• Rebounds: William Smith 43, Skidmore 40
• Assists: William Smith 13, Skidmore 12
• Turnovers: William Smith 33, Skidmore 16
• Steals: Skidmore 25, William Smith 7
• Blocked Shots: William Smith 6, Skidmore 1

HERON STAT LEADERS

• Scoring: Amelia McCulley 13, Ava Lobozzo 8, Carly Scott 8, Giana Lobozzo 6
• Rebounding: Ava Lobozzo 10, Amelia McCulley 6, Molly Walsh 5, Giana Lobozzo 5, McKenzie Mandyck 5
• Assists: Molly Walsh 4, Giana Lobozzo 3, Ava Lobozzo 2, Amelia McCulley 1, Charlotte Miller 1, Miranda Martin 1, McKenzie Mandyck 1
• Steals:  Molly Walsh 2, Giana Lobozzo 2, Ava Lobozzo 1, Amelia McCulley 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The back-and-forth action started early in the opening quarter between the Herons and the Thoroughbreds. Skidmore used their size to its advantage to score 10 points in the paint in the opening quarter and forced six William Smith turnovers to grab an early 17-12 lead.
• The Herons continued to fight in the second quarter and found seven points from its bench to spark some momentum in favor of William Smith. Scott went 2-for-3 from behind the arc and added a fast break layup to keep the Herons within eight heading into halftime.
• The Thoroughbreds raced out to a 7-0 scoring run to open the second half to grab an early 15-point lead. The Herons locked down defensively and only allowed one point in the final five minutes of the quarter. Junior McKenzie Mandyck caught the hot hand down the stretch to bring William Smith back within seven heading into the final quarter.
• Skidmore responded with a full court press in the final quarter, forcing William Smith to 12 turnovers. McCulley went on a scoring run as she broke through the press, but the time was on the Thoroughbred's side as they closed out the conference matchup on top 56-45.

FOR THE RECORD

• William Smith falls to 2-20 overall with a 2-13 mark in Liberty League play.
• Skidmore moves to 11-11 on the season with a 9-6 mark in conference play.

UP NEXT
 
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow as it takes on Bard in its final home game of the 2024-25 season. Action between the Herons and the Raptors is set for 2 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium with a brief ceremony for William Smith's lone senior, Molly Walsh, set to take place prior to tipoff.