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Heron comeback falls short
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Cunningham recorded a double-double for the Herons. (Photo by Kevin Colton) |
February 23, 2007
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to St. Lawrence tonight, 69-64, in the semifinal round of the Liberty League Tournament. The Herons drop to 14-11 overall, while the Saints improve to 24-2. Liberty League Rookie of the Year Erin Cunningham (Morris Knolls/Rockaway, N.J.) recorded a double-double for William Smith with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior Marisa Vespa (Immaculate Heart/Watertown, N.Y.) tallied 12 points, four assists, and four steals on the night for the Herons, while senior Paula Foote (Sidney/Sidney, N.Y.) ended with 13 points. Sophomore Latasha Coney (Lyons/Lyons, N.Y.) added 12 points and five rebounds.
The Saints led by as many as 20 in the first half, and carried a 17-point lead into the break.
The Herons, down 51-35 with under 12 minutes left, came back to tie the game after posting a 25-8 run. Junior forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) made a lay-up with 2:57 on the clock, tying the game at 59. The next time down the court, classmate Vespa was fouled, and gave William Smith its first lead of the game, 60-59, after hitting a free throw.
Sophomore Katie Palmer (Bourne, Mass.) scored with 1:21 remaining, putting the Saints up again 61-60. St. Lawrence built its lead when junior Kimberly Sikule (Westerlo, N.Y.) made two free throws after a Heron turnover.
William Smith cut its lead to one again following two made free throws from Cunningham with 44 second to go, but the Saints’ Palmer answered with two points of her own, giving her team a 65-62 lead. She ended with 16 points, while junior guard Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, N.Y.) finished with a game-high 22 points.
The Herons kept the pressure on for the final seconds of the game, but could not get closer. William Smith shot just 34.6 percent from the field in the first half to the Saints’ 55.6. The teams traded numbers for the second half as the Herons shot 46.7 percent to St. Lawrence’s 35.0 percent.