POTSDAM, N.Y.— The Clarkson women's basketball team used a fast start to propel it to a 76-65 win over William Smith despite a late comeback by the Herons in a Liberty League contest this afternoon in Alumni Gymnasium.
Three Herons dropped double-digit points in the setback to the Golden Knights. Senior Molly Walsh led William Smith with 13 points, shooting 3-for-5 from behind the arc. She added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the loss. Sophomore Amelia McCulley chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, while sophomore Giana Lobozzo added 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in the loss.
Clarkson was led by a 23-point, six-assist and five-rebound performance by Cassidy Dumont. Bella Doyle registered a double-double for the Golden Knights as she tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds. Raelin Burns chipped in 19 points, four rebounds and two steals in the win.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: Clarkson 34, William Smith 29
- Assists: William Smith 12, Clarkson 12
- Turnovers: William Smith 17, Clarkson 15
- Steals: Clarkson 10, William Smith 8
HERON STAT LEADERS
- Scoring: Molly Walsh 13, Amelia McCulley 12, Giana Lobozzo 11, Miranda Martin 9
- Rebounding: Giana Lobozzo 7, Amelia McCulley 5, Molly Walsh 4, Ava Lobozzo 4
- Assists: Giana Lobozzo 3, Amelia McCulley 3, Molly Walsh 2, McKenzie Mandyck 2
- Steals: Ava Lobozzo 2, Amelia McCulley 2, Molly Walsh 1, Bridget McCleary 1, Giana Lobozzo 1, Carly Scott 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Herons struggled to get their offense going to open the game as it shot 2-for-14 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes. William Smith got a spark when junior Faith Okoli came off the bench and made an immediate impact to get the Herons on the board. The Golden Knights capitalized on William Smith's six early turnovers and shot out to a 19-5 lead after the first quarter.
- William Smith responded well in the second quarter and shot 50% from the floor to claw their way back into the game. The Herons found 11 points from their bench and forced eight Clarkson turnovers to cut their deficit to eight heading to halftime.
- Both sides came to play in the third quarter as William Smith and Clarkson put on impressive offensive performances. The Golden Knights shot 73% from the floor but were matched by a sharp shooting Heron side that caught fire from behind the arc. Clarkson's efficiency helped maintain a 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
- The back-and-forth play continued in the final quarter as William Smith shot 9-of-15 from the floor in the final 10 minutes compared to Clarkson's 50%. The Herons found crucial points from its bench to make the game interesting down the stretch as William Smith got within five points. Despite the late push, Clarkson used the clock to its advantage and used a mix of sharp shooting from behind the arc as well as strong free throw shooting to close out the contest on top, 76-65.
FOR THE RECORD
- William Smith falls to 2-18 on the season with a 2-11 mark in the Liberty League.
- Clarkson moves to 8-10 overall with a 4-9 mark in conference play.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow when it travels to Canton, New York, to take on St. Lawrence in a Liberty League matchup. Action between the Herons and the Saints is set for 2 p.m. in Ronald T. Burkman Gymnasium.
