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Herons drain Brewers 66-57
February 11, 2006
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Lauren Samuelson |
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Paula Foote |
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Steph Czajkowski |
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.--William Smith College erased an uninspiring first half to defeat Vassar College 66-57 in Liberty League basketball action this afternoon. The Herons used a 10-0 run out of the locker room to seize control of the contest.
Junior guard Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) led William Smith with 15 points and four assists. Sophomore forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) posted her third double-double of the season, recording 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. First-year Lauren Samuelson (Olean/Olean, N.Y.) contributed to the winning effort with a career-high 10 points.
Vassar (7-14, 2-9) also placed three players in double digits, led by the 15-point effort of Rachel Cerlen.
The Herons (17-4, 10-1) trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, connecting on just two of their first 14 shots, while the Brewers drained 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. William Smith managed to creep within one heading into halftime, ending the opening frame on a 14-4 run.
Samuelson was the leading scorer at the break, scoring all 10 of her points in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Herons scored the first 10 points and 17 of the first 21 to build a double digit advantage.
Vassar made one last push to revive its upset bid, getting within six at the 3:04 mark. Cerlan converted a traditional three-point play to make it a 60-54 Heron lead.
However, the Brewers managed just one more field goal, a three-pointer by Erin Harper (5 pts, 8 asst, 7 TOs) with nine seconds remaining. William Smith sealed its seventh straight win with a 6-of-7 showing at the free throw line in the final 61 seconds.
William Smith will honor its three seniors--Seraphine Hamilton (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.J.), Tanya Richvalsky (Mohawk/Mohawk, N.Y.), and Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.)--prior to the start of the team’s final regular season home game on Feb. 14. The Herons will tip-off with Hamilton at 7 p.m. in Bristol Gym.