DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Buffalo State (5-2) could not hold a second-half lead and dropped a 65-60 decision to William Smith (4-2) today in the first game of the Daytona Beach Shootout.

Ashley Wallace (Lockport/Starpoint) led four Bengals scoring in double-figures with 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds.  Staci McElroy (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) netted 14 points, while Olivia Luciani (Syracuse/E. Syracuse Minoa) and Kala Crawford (Middle Falls/Saratoga Springs) added 11 each.  Crawford also had six assists.  Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) scored just two points, but grabbed 11 rebounds.

Buffalo State led by one at halftime, 26-25, and extended its lead to as many as eight in the second half.  The Herons battled back and used an 18-2 run to take the lead and push the advantage 55-44 with five minutes remaining.  The Bengals attempted a late run, cutting the deficit to 63-30 with 12 seconds remaining, but William Smith hit a pair of free throws to clinch the game.

William Smith outscored Buffalo State 21-15 from 3-point range and held a slight edge in field-goal percentage.

Buffalo State will wrap up the Daytona Beach Shootout tomorrow against Babson at 4 p.m.