GENEVA, N.Y.—The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute women's basketball team used a strong first half as it defeated William Smith 68-50 in a Liberty League contest in Bristol Gymnasium this afternoon.
Junior guard
Giana Lobozzo led the Herons with 14 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Junior
Ava Lobozzo chipped in eight points, six rebounds and one assist, while classmate
Dani Krenzer added six points, four rebounds and one steal for William Smith. Junior
Amelia McCulley and first-year
Kira Ostovar added five points each for the Herons and combined for six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
RPI was led by Sophie Costello's 17 points, six assists, two rebounds and one steal. Siena Smith and Niamh Gendron added 16 points each and combined for 11 rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: RPI 37, William Smith 34
- Assists: RPI 13, William Smith 8
- Turnovers: William Smtih 19, RPI 16
- Steals: RPI 12, William Smith 10
- Blocked Shots: RPI 3, William Smith 1
HERON STAT LEADERS
- Scoring: Giana Lobozzo 14, Ava Lobozzo 8, Dani Krenzer 6, Amelia McCulley 5, Kira Ostovar 5
- Rebounding: Ava Lobozzo 6, Jojo Sulmasy 4, Dani Krenzer 4, Kira Ostovar 4, Miranda Martin 4
- Assists: Bridget McCleary 2, Carly Scott 2, Ava Lobozzo 1, Giana Lobozzo 1, Eily Hubler 1, Kira Ostovar 1
- Steals: Bridget McCleary 2, Miranda Martin 2, Jojo Sulmasy 1, Giana Lobozzo 1, McKenzie Mandyck 1, Dani Krenzer 1, Eily Hubler 1, Carly Scott 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Engineers came out hot in the opening quarter, shooting 69% from the floor compared to the Herons 28%. RPI applied a full court press and forced several key turnovers and closed out the opening quarter on top, 20-14.
- RPI continued on its momentum in the second quarter and outscored William Smith 15-7 in the second frame. The Engineers found crucial points from its bench as it closed out the half with a 14-point lead.
- The Herons fought back in the third quarter, scoring a game-high 16 points in the quarter but was matched by an efficient Engineer side that shot 62% from the floor and went for 22 points. William Smith forced four RPI turnovers as it locked down defensively, but the Engineers maintained a 20-point lead heading into the final frame.
- William Smith continued chipping away at the RPI lead as it shot 33% from the floor in the final quarter. The Herons forced the Engineers to seven turnovers but struggled to find large scoring runs to cut into RPI's lead. The Engineers closed out the conference battle on top 68-50.
FOR THE RECORD
- William Smith falls to 3-14 on the season with a 1-9 record in conference play.
- RPI improves to 12-5 overall and 7-3 in the Liberty League.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Jan. 30, when it travels to Rochester to take on RIT in a Liberty League showdown. Action between the Herons and the Tigers is set for 5:30 p.m.
