Dec 21, 2013
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Senior guard Sasha Borenstein scored a career-high 26 points to lead the William Smith College basketball team to a 91-66 victory over SUNY Potsdam at the Ocean Center Arena today. Coupled with a 13-point effort yesterday, she earned a spot on the Daytona Beach Shootout All-Tournament Team.
William Smith (5-2) shot a season-high 54.1 percent from the floor, including 67.9 percent in the first half as the Herons charged out to a 50-30 halftime lead. The Herons also made nearly twice as many free throws (17) as the Bears attempted (9).
William Smith broke open a two-point game with a 15-3 run midway through the first half. Senior forward Chloe Hayter led the surge with six points. She finished the game with her 10th career double-double on 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Hayter also made a solid bid for a triple double, handing out a game- and career-high six assists.
After the Bears' Jessica Kouzan (11 pts) and Daronda Addison (4 pts) made back-to-back baskets to close the gap to 10, the Herons countered with a 12-2 run that stretched their lead to 41-21 with 3:33 left in the opening half. Borenstein sandwiched a pair of treys around a Melanie Patterson (10 pts) layup to close out the run. Borenstein was 9-of-16 shooting on the day, including a career-high eight 3-pointers on 15 attempts.
Senior guard Jacqueline Murphy's layup with 54 seconds to go gave William Smith its largest lead of the half, 48-25. She logged six points and 10 rebounds in the game.
In the second half, the Heron shooters cooled off a bit, making 42.4 percent of their shots, but never let the lead dip below 14. William Smith finished the game with five first-years on the floor and took its largest lead of the contest on Gabrielle Eure's (3 pts) free throw that closed out the afternoon's scoring.
Senior guard Erin O'Brien gave the Herons four players in double digits thanks to an efficient 5-of-9 shooting effort that produced 10 points. Junior forward Molly Breen added six points and nine rebounds off the bench, as William Smith enjoyed a 47-37 advantage on the glass.
Carli Reynolds scored 14 points to lead Potsdam (3-6). Bailey Weigel and Chenice Russell each contributed 11 points. The Bears were limited to 35.7 percent shooting for the game.
William Smith will return to action in the new year, traveling to SUNY Cortland on Friday, Jan. 3. The Herons and Red Dragons will tip off at 2 p.m.