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Herons win ugly over Skidmore
February 4, 2006
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Stephanie Czajkowski led William Smith
past Skidmore. |
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team overcame a lackluster first half performance to defeat visiting Skidmore College 52-39 to complete a Liberty League weekend sweep. Sophomore forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) paced the Herons with 14 points as well as eight rebounds.
Both teams came out cold, combining for an 0-for-8 performance from the floor over the first four minutes. The Thoroughbreds (8-13, 2-8) found their stroke first, scoring the first four points of the game. Skidmore first-year Kellye Caufield (Masuk/Monroe, Conn.) hit a layup with 6:33 remaining in the opening stanza to give the visitors their largest lead of the game, 21-12. She finished the afternoon with a game-high 17 points.
At that point, both teams hit another cold patch, missing nine consecutive shots over a three-minute span. The Herons (15-4, 8-1) scored the final five points of the half to go into the locker room down 21-17.
William Smith, which was coming off an emotional win over Union on Friday night, was fortunate not to be down by more. The Herons committed as many turnovers in the first half as they scored points.
The home team cleaned up its game after the break, committing just seven turnovers, while harassing their guests into 12. William Smith grabbed its first lead of the game at the 15:18 mark on a pair of free throws by Czajkowski, 25-24.
Caufield responded with a three-pointer to give Skidmore its final lead of the night. From there, William Smith slowly and methodically pulled away, controlling the offensive and defensive glass. The Herons held a 49-28 rebounding advantage, keyed by senior Seraphine Hamilton’s (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.J.) season-high 14.
Junior Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) and senior Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.) contributed 12 points and 11 points, respectively, to the winning effort.
William Smith is back in action on Feb. 10, when the Herons travel to Rensselaer. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.