 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
How Sweet It Is: Herons top Lakers to reach round of 16
March 5 , 2005
 |
Seniors Tara Brisson (left) and Ivy
Parker pen in Oswego's Kristin Sterling
during the Herons' 68-58 NCAA
Tournament win. |
 |
Pria Young locks in on two of her six
points against Oswego. She also posted
a game-high six steals and a team-high
eight rebounds. |
OSWEGO, N.Y.—William Smith held Oswego State without a point over the final 6:58 of the second half to post a 68-58 victory over the host Lakers in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament. Heron first-year guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/ Watertown, N.Y.) led all scorers with 15 points, including a 9-of-13 performance from the free-throw line.
On a layup, Sarah Lombard (12 points) gave Oswego (24-4) a three-point edge, 58-55, with just under seven minutes remaining in a nip-and-tuck battle that saw the lead change hands 15 times. It was the final points the Lakers—who were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance—would score.
“I think [the difference] was our perseverance down the stretch,” Head Coach Olympia Scott-Richardson said “We had to bear down and get stops and we did that tonight.”
The Herons (20-7) scored the final 13 points of the night, while Oswego went 0-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-2 from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Paula Foote (Sidney/ Sidney, N.Y.) powered the decisive run with five of her seven points, including William Smith’s lone three-pointer with 3:10 remaining that seemed to take the wind out of the Lakers’ sails. The Herons iced their fourth trip to the round of 16 by making five of their final eight free-throw attempts.
Seniors Tara Brisson (Bishop Grimes/ Liverpool, N.Y.) and Ivy Parker (Corcoran/ Syracuse, N.Y.) provided the victors with several emotional lifts throughout the night, finishing with identical 14-point efforts.
William Smith was able to seize control of the contest by the very same method that allowed Oswego to hang with the
 |
William Smith fans who made the trek
to Oswego weren't disappointed as the
Herons advanced to the round of 16 for
the first time since 1999. |
Herons in the first half, convert points into turnovers. The Lakers turned William Smith’s 12 first half turnovers into 12 points (compared to just four points off turnovers for the Herons). The teams headed into the break tied at 34-34.
After the break, William Smith regained its defensive focus and reversed that score, turning nine Oswego turnovers into 12 Heron points. Junior guard Pria Young (Council Rock/ Richboro, Pa.) was the chief thief, finishing the night with a game-high six steals, six points, and a team-high eight rebounds.
William Smith will meet Bowdoin, a 69-46 winner over Alvernia, in the round of 16 on March 11, at the University of Scranton. Game time is tentatively set for 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, students, and children.