Stephanie Czajkowski

January 27, 2007

TROY, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but the Herons had to hold their collective breath as Rensselaer missed four shots in the final two minutes that would have tied the score or given the Red Hawks the lead. Led by junior forward Stephanie Czajkowski's (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) 21 points, William Smith held on for a 59-57 Liberty League victory.

Czajkowski, who shot 10-of-15 from the floor, was joined in double figures by sophomore guard Latasha Coney (Lyons/Lyons, N.Y.) and first-year forward Erin Cunningham (Morris Knolls/Rockaway, N.J.) with 11 points apiece.

Whitney Coleman scored a game-high 27 points for RPI, while Kristi Baranowski added a game-high 13 rebounds. Coleman was 13-of-14 from the free throw line, making as many a the stripe as the entire Heron team attempted.

William Smith (10-7, 4-3) got off to a fast start, leading by as many as seven points, but Rensselaer (12-6, 5-2) ended the half on a 6-0 run to carry a 33-29 lead into halftime.

After the intermission, the Red Hawks were able to expand their lead to six, 42-36, with 13:33 remaining. A Coney three proved to be the catalyst that sent the Herons on a 10-0 run to retake the lead for good.

Eight unanswered points, four from Czajkowski and four from Cunningham, put William Smith out in front by 10, 54-44, with 8:16 to go.

RPI was able to whittle away at the Heron lead, closing to within one, 58-57, with 2:56 remaining on a pair of free throws by Elizabeth Barker. Neither team managed to score another field goal in the contest, with Czajkowski, who scored William Smith's final five points, closing out the scoring by making one of two free throws with 16 seconds remaining.

The Herons return to the friendly confines of Bristol Gym on Feb. 2, when they host Union in another Liberty League showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Live coverage of the contest is available online.

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