September 21 , 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith Basketball Head Coach Olympia Scott, a seven-year veteran of the WNBA, helped the Sacramento Monarchs capture their first WNBA Championship last night. The Monarchs defeated the Connecticut Sun, 62-59, to win the WNBA Finals three games to one.

Scott, in her first season with the Monarchs, averaged 9.4 minutes, 2.1 points, and 1.8 rebounds during the regular season. And while benches get shorter in the playoffs, Scott still played meaningful time during the championship run, including an important minute during the decisive Game 4.

As ESPN.com’s Mechelle Voepel wrote, “Then there was another ‘little play,’ when Olympia Scott got in for one minute and made her only shot from the field with 3:28 left in the first half. Sacramento was working so hard to score then, you could feel a collective sigh of relief from the crowd—and the Monarchs’ bench—when Scott’s shot swished.”

In her first season as head coach of the Herons, Scott led William Smith to the Liberty League regular season and tournament championships, an appearance in the NCAA regional semifinals, and the program’s first 20-win season (20-8) since 1999-2000.

William Smith returns 10 letterwinners, including four starters. The team’s top three scorers all return, including 2005 Liberty League Rookie of the Year Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.), who led the team with 11.5 ppg and a William Smith first-year record 142 assists.

The Herons open the season on Nov. 19, at Keuka. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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