For Immediate Release
Contact: Ken DeBolt, debolt@hws.edu
February 2, 2013
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team rebounded from a tough loss Friday night with a 66-62 Liberty League win over Skidmore College in Bristol Gym this afternoon. Senior Sydni Salvatore and sophomore Chloe Hayter both enjoyed 20-point games for the Herons.
Salvatore was 7-of-14 from the floor with three 3-pointers and went 8-of-10 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 25 points. Hayter was 9-of-18 from the floor and 3-of-6 at the line for 21 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds. Junior Jacqueline Murphy corralled a game-high 12 boards.
For the Thoroughbreds, Logan Frederick scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Molly McLaughlin added 13 points thanks in part to a 3-of-6 performance from beyond the arc.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading the lead six times. Neither team led by more than five points. Skidmore shot 42.9 percent from the floor, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. William Smith shot just 32.4 percent from the floor, but trailed by just two, 29-27, at halftime thanks to 11 first half turnovers by the Thoroughbreds.
Hayter and Salvatore were the leading scorers at the break with nine points apiece.
The Thoroughbreds built their biggest lead of the game, 35-29, off a 3-pointer by McLaughlin two minutes into the second half. The Herons battled back and took a 38-37 lead on a pair of Salvatore free throws at the 13:56 mark. Hayter made it a 3-point game with a jumper a minute later, but Dani Gregory canned a trey to tie the game at 40-all.
Over the next three minutes, William Smith scored seven unanswered points and used a 10-2 run to take the biggest lead of the night for either side. Salvatore had five point during the surge and junior Sasha Borenstein capped it with a 3-pointer for a 50-42 lead with 7:59 remaining.
Four straight points by Frederick made it a 56-54 game, but the Herons countered with five unanswered to restore their seven-point edge with 55 seconds to go. Junior Jordyn Wartts (9 points) made a layup with 26 seconds remaining to once again make it a two-point game, but the Thoroughbreds were forced to foul on the inbounds play and Salvatore made both free throws to ice the victory.
Skidmore's shooting tailed off a bit in the second half (.387 FG%) while William Smith shot much better (.440). The Thoroughbreds committed 18 turnovers to the Herons' 12, but did manage a slim 39-38 rebounding advantage.
William Smith will be back on the court at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, when the Herons visit Vassar. Skidmore returns home to host St. Lawrence at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5.