William Smith College sophomore forward Chloe Hayter matched her career-high with 25 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Herons to a 70-53 Liberty League women's basketball win at Union College. The Herons broke open a close game with a dominating performance—both offensively and defensively—in the second half.
Hayter made 12-of-17 shots from the floor on her way to her third career double-double. Junior guard Erin O'Brien added 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Senior guard Sydni Salvatore chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Junior guard Sasha Borenstein also had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers that raised her career total to 167. She passed Pria Young '06 (166 3FGM), moving into third place on William Smith's career list.
Union's Kelsey McDonald produced 19 points and six assists, both team-highs. She was the only Dutchwoman to reach double digits in the scoring column.
The first half was a back and forth affair, featuring six ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points.
Amy Loya gave Union (10-7, 5-4 Liberty) its final lead of the night, 31-29, on a bucket at the 1:35 mark. O'Brien evened the score 28 seconds later. After a Dutchwomen turnover, Hayter converted a layup to put William Smith (10-6, 4-3) in front 33-31 with 34 seconds to go. Kate Thompson made a layup at the other end of the floor with nine ticks remaining for the night's last tie, but Borenstein buried a 3-pointer ahead of the buzzer to send the Herons into halftime with a 36-33 lead.
William Smith led by seven early in the second half, but Union scored six unanswered to get within one. For nearly two minutes, neither team could manage a basket, then Hayter converted a layup to snap her team out of the drought and kick-start a 14-0 run. She converted another shot in the low post followed by a 3-pointer by Borenstein. Sophomore forward Molly Breen made an old fashion three-point play, O'Brien sank a pair of free throws and senior guard Jaimie Rubin capped the run with a jumper at the 9:57 mark for a 56-41 lead.
The Herons expanded their lead to as many as 25 down the stretch before the Dutchwomen scored the final eight points of the game.
William Smith shot 45.9 percent from the floor, including 53.9 percent in the second half. The Herons limited Union to 37.3 percent shooting, including a paltry 29 percent (9-31) in the second half. William Smith made 10-of-12 from the free throw line and enjoyed a 43-32 rebounding advantage.
The Herons will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 25, when they host Bard. Tipoff in Bristol Gym is scheduled for 6 p.m.