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Hadwin leads Herons to victory on Senior Day
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Laura Hadwin '03 |
February 22, 2003
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team gave senior forward
Laura Hadwin (Vestal/Vestal, N.Y.) a proper send off this afternoon, downing Vassar College 66-53 at Bristol Gym. Hadwin, playing in her final game as a Heron, led the team with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
William Smith (9-15, 4-10 UCAA) scorched the nets early and often. Three and a half minutes into the game, the Herons led 10-0, including seven points from Hadwin. After a timeout, the Brewers (5-19, 2-12) posted their first field goal, but William Smith responded with the next nine points and essentially ran away with the game.
Vassar managed to whittle its deficit down to 11, 29-18, on a pair of free throws by senior forward Carleen Aubee (Ponagansett/Chepachet, R.I.), but a 7-0 run propelled William Smith to a 38-21 halftime lead. Aubee was the only Brewer in double digits with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 8-of-9 from the line.
The Herons led by as many as 26 after the break, before the Brewers closed the gap to the final 13-point margin with a 17-4 run over the final five minutes with William Smith’s starters on the bench.
First-year guard Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.) chipped in 16 points for the Herons, knocking down 6-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long range. Junior point guard Stephanie Leveille (Ossining/Ossinging, N.Y.) also turned in a solid effort with five assists, five rebounds, four steals, and four points, against just a single turnover.
The Herons turned in one of their best shooting performances of the season, connecting on 49 percent from the floor (14-of-25), including 56 percent in the first half. William Smith was also extremely unselfish in its play, recording assists on 21 of 24 field goals.
Hadwin finished her career with 1,288 points and 644 rebounds, placing her sixth on both all-time lists. She also holds the William Smith records for free throws made in a season (138 in ’02-03) and in a career (396).