November 20 , 2004

Stephanie Czajkowski

GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith College first-year Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) scored 14 points and had four rebounds in just 19 minutes of action to lead the Herons to a 49-35 season-opening victory over visiting Keuka College in basketball action this evening in Bristol Gym. William Smith trailed just once and led by as many as 16 in the 14-point victory.

After a scoreless opening 1:48 that featured a combined five turnovers and four missed shots, the Herons grabbed the early 4-0 lead before the Storm jumped ahead 6-4 with six unanswered points—their only lead of the contest.

Senior Ivy Parker (Corcoran/Syracuse, N.Y.) stopped Keuka’s run with a pair of layups to spark an 18-4 William Smith run that put the Herons up 22-10 with 4:36 left in the opening half. During that 11-minute span, William Smith played smothering defense, forcing eight turnovers by the Storm.

Parker finished the game with eight points and joined teammate Seraphine Hamilton (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.J.) with a game-high eight boards.

The Herons (1-0) held Keuka to just 4-of-23 shooting from the field and 18 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes for a 23-12 lead at the break.

William Smith picked up right where it left off in the second half, building its lead to 16, getting six straight points from Czajkowski in the opening 3:58. The Storm responded by going on a 12-4 run over the next eight minutes cut the Herons lead to single digits for the first time since the 5:43 mark of the first stanza.

First-year guard Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) knocked down the next four points to put the Herons push the lead back into double digits at 38-26. Vespa finished the game with 11 points to help William Smith secure the 14-point victory.

Amanda Green (Minerva Central/Glens Falls, N.Y.) was the high scorer for the Storm with nine points, while Rachel Everson (Midlakes/Clifton Springs, N.Y.) and Amy Chaffee (Watkins Glen/Watkins Glen, N.Y.) both had six.

The Herons held the Storm to just 27.3 percent shooting, including just 8.3 percent from the three-point arc.

William Smith returns to action on Nov. 24, hosting Brockport at 6 p.m., in Bristol Gym.

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