GENESEO, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team used a strong first half as it opened the season with an impressive 67-54 win over SUNY Geneseo this evening in Carl Schrader Gymnasium. The Herons' win was the first over the Knights since 2010.
Senior guard Ava Lobozzo led William Smith with a double-double performance, recording 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the win. She added three assists and one steal in the win as well, shooting 71% from the floor. Senior Amelia McCulley chipped in a game-high 15 points and added five rebounds, one steal and one block for the Herons. With her first block of the season, McCulley grabbed sole possession of second place on the William Smith Career Blocks list with 90 career blocks.
Junior Anne Keneally had a big night for the Herons, recording 11 points, shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Classmate Jojo Sulmasy added nine points, three rebounds and three assists, while senior Giana Lobozzo and sophomore Eily Hubler added eight points each in the win. The duo combined for four rebounds, four assists and one steal for William Smith.
Geneseo was led by Kristin Suydam's 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Audrey Hintz and Elizabeth Craft chipped in 11 points each and combined for eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. Jordyn Townes recorded nine points, five rebounds and two steals in the loss.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: William Smith 46, Geneseo 36
- Assists: William Smith 14, Geneseo 10
- Turnovers: William Smith 15, Geneseo 8
- Steals: Geneseo 11, William Smith 4
- Blocked Shots: William Smith 3, Geneseo 3
HERON STAT LEADERS
- Scoring: Amelia McCulley 15, Ava Lobozzo 12, Anne Keneally 11, Jojo Sulmasy 9
- Rebounding: Ava Lobozzo 14, Dani Krenzer 7, Amelia McCulley 5, Giana Lobozzo 4
- Assists: Eily Hubler 4, Ava Lobozzo 3, Jojo Sulmasy 3, Kira Ostovar 2
- Steals: Ava Lobozzo 1, Jojo Sulmasy 1, Amelia McCulley 1, Giana Lobozzo 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- William Smith came out hot in the opening quarter, dropping a game-high 20 points in the opening 10 minutes, shooting 42% from the floor. The Herons locked down defensively and held Geneseo to a game-low 11 points. William Smith grabbed 15 boards in the first quarter, including seven offensive rebounds to grab the early 20-11 lead.
- The Herons continued to roll in the second quarter, shooting 47% from the floor and combining for 19 points as a team. William Smith made its second chance opportunities count and scored eight points off of turnovers. The Knights recorded 13 points in the second quarter but struggled to find offensive rhythm as the Herons closed out the first half on top, 39-24.
- Both sides traded the momentum in the third quarter as both William Smith and Geneseo scored 17 points each in the 10-minute period. The Herons shot 38.5% from the floor compared to the Knights' 35.7%. Geneseo continued to push the tempo, looking to chip into the William Smith lead but every time the Knights found some momentum, the Herons would answer with a clutch play to stop Geneseo's momentum. Ava Lobozzo sunk a three pointer as the time expired to close out the third quarter on top, 56-41.
- Geneseo tried to claw its way back into the game in the final quarter, outscoring William Smith 13-11 and shooting 33.3% from the floor compared to the Herons' 22.2%. Despite the late push from the Knights, the Herons locked down defensively and used the clock to their advantage as they closed out the non-conference battle on top, 67-54.
COACHES CORNER
"We wanted to make a statement today about what it means to compete against William Smith basketball, and I thought this group did exactly that," said Head Coach Seraphine Hamilton '06. "We played with toughness, composure and most importantly, we played together. This was an important win for our program, but I think the bigger takeaway is that we raised our ceiling today, and now we will continue to build on that."
FOR THE RECORD
- William Smith opens the season with a 1-0 mark for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
- With the loss, Geneseo falls to 0-1 on the season.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow as it travels to Fredonia for a non-conference matchup. Action between the Herons and the Blue Devils is set for 2 p.m. in Dods Hall Gymnasium.
