March 1, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith basketball team will make its 12th postseason appearance under Head Coach Glenn Begly. The Herons learned late this morning that they are the No. 7 seed in the seven-team ECAC Upstate Tournament.

William Smith will face league rival Rensselaer, in Troy, at 6 p.m., on March 3, in Robison Gym. The second-seeded Red Hawks (20-6) won both meetings with the Herons this season, eking out a 55-52 victory in Troy on Jan. 17, and outlasting William Smith 59-55 in Geneva, on Feb. 13. The winner will face the winner of No. 3 Oneonta/No. 6 Hartwick at top-seeded St. John Fisher on March 6.

The Herons are 13-12 this season, with seven of those losses coming by eight points or less. A young squad, William Smith’s 13-player roster features just one senior and only two juniors.

The Herons are led by UCAA Rookie of the Year Anne Hellebush (Pittsford-Sutherland/Pittsford, N.Y.). A guard, she is averaging a team-best 11.1 ppg and boasts 12 blocked shots. Classmate Ashley Rodger (Waterloo/Waterloo, N.Y.) is Hellebush’s counterpart in the low-post. The forward is contributing 9.4 ppg and a team-high 7.8 rpg. Senior guard Stephanie Leveille (Ossining/Ossining, N.Y.) is the Herons top playmaker, handing out 3.6 assist per game.

Now in his 16th season with the Herons, Begly boasts a 319-100 (.653) career record. Including this season, he has led William Smith to four ECAC Tournament appearances and eight NCAA Tournament bids.

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