William Smith connected on 27-of-52 shots, including 2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc, and shot 74 percent from the foul line. The Herons outrebounded the Brewers 39-28, including a game-high nine boards from senior Jacqueline Murphy. Defensively, William Smith limited Vassar to 32 percent shooting and just 1-of-6 from long range.

The Brewers (9-3, 2-1) kept the game close with a 24-of-25 performance at the free throw line.

Junior Chloe Hayter pumped in a team-high 18 points to lead the Herons, converting 8-of-9 shots and 2-of-3 free throws. Senior Erin O'Brien also missed only one shot (5-6) with a 3-pointer and a 4-for-4 effort at the line. First-year Melanie Patterson added 12 points and Murphy recorded 11 to give the Herons four players in double figures.

Vassar also put four players in double digits led by Hannah Senftleber, who made all 11 of her free throw attempts and finished with a game-high 19 points. Cydni Matsuoka, Caitlin Drakeley, and Nyah Berg added 13, 11, and 10 points, respectively.

William Smith got off to a fast start, breaking a 4-4 tie with a 14-4 run. The Brewers countered with a 17-5 run to take a 25-23 lead with 5:18 remaining in the first half. Junior Ali Pliszka made a layup at the other end of the floor to tie the game, but Vassar made back-to-back buckets to retake the lead on its way to a 31-30 halftime advatange.

Senftleber made a pair of free throws just over a minute into the second half for a 35-34 Brewer lead. The Herons seized control of the game with a 16-5 run, including seven points from O'Brien, to take a 50-40 lead.

Vassar closed the gap to six points with 3:09 left on two more free throws by Senftleber, but Patterson and Hayter made consecutive layups to restore the visitors' double digit lead and put the game away.

William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 18, when the Herons travel to Bard College (1-10, 0-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.