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Herons advance to NCAA 2nd round, top Cardinals 69-62
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Junior guard Paula Foote scored a team-
high 14 points to lift the Herons into the
second round of the NCAA Tournament. |
March 3, 2006
BEREA, Ohio—William Smith used a balanced scoring effort to knock off St. John Fisher College 69-62 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament in Ursprung Gymnasium tonight. Junior guard Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) led five Herons in double digits with a team-high 14 points.
Senior guard Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.) extended her career with a fine all-around effort, recording 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Senior forward Seraphine Hamilton (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.Y.) and sophomore guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) each added 12 points, while senior forward Tanya Richvalsky (Mohawk/Mohawk, N.Y.) contributed 11 points.
Senior forward Melissa Hartman (West Canada Valley/Middleville, N.Y.) recorded a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals (25-3), and senior forward Jen Lardo (Hamburg/Hamburg, N.Y.) was the only other Fisher player in double digits with 10 points, all from the free throw line. William Smith harassed the Cardinals No. 2 scorer, senior guard Kathy Baum (Ripley/Ripley, N.Y.)—who entered the game averaging 17.0 points—into a 2-for-9 shooting night that ended with just nine points.
Early in the game, the Herons (22-5) used a 10-0 run to turn a 7-6 deficit into a 16-7 lead. Foote keyed the run with a pair of three-pointers, and finished the contest 3-of-7 from long range.
William Smith continued to push the tempo in the opening half, pulling away from St. John Fisher with exceptional shooting. The Herons connected on 17-of-30 from the floor in the first half for a sterling .567 shooting percentage, en route to a 48-28 halftime lead.
After the break, William Smith continued its torrid pace, ballooning its edge to as many as 27, before the Cardinals made a late charge. Fisher exploded for a 19-2 run midway through the second frame. Hartman, as she has been all season, was the fuel behind the Cardinals engine, scoring a team-high six during the run to trim her team’s deficit to nine with 2:18 left to play.
Richvalsky answered with a layup with 1:56 to go for the Herons final field goal. St. John Fisher got within five on a pair of free throws by Lardo with 31 ticks remaining, but Young countered with two freebies of her own for the final score of the night.
The Herons, who are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, advance to the second round for the eighth consecutive time. William Smith will face the winner of host Baldwin-Wallace/SUNY Oswego, on March 4, at 6 p.m.