Jan 10, 2014
TROY, N.Y.—William Smith College first-year guard Melanie Patterson scored a career-high 16 points to pace five Herons in double digits in an 85-77 Liberty League win at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this evening. It was William Smith's seventh consecutive victory, the program's longest winning streak since winning 15 in a row during the 2007-08 season.
Patterson was 3-of-5 from the floor and made 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Senior guard Erin O'Brien also added 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 night at the line. Junior forward Chloe Hayter and senior guard Jacqueline Murphy both notched double-doubles. Hayter scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds while Murphy also collected 11 caroms and scored 10 points. Junior forward Molly Breen also recorded 10 points and senior guard Sasha Borenstein added nine on three 3-pointers.
The Herons (8-2, 1-0 Liberty) shot 44.4 percent from the field with four 3-pointers. William Smith really made its mark at the free throw line, breaking a pair of school records. The Herons went 33-of-48 at the charity stripe, surpassing the marks for makes (30, twice) and attempts (47 at Potsdam in 2008). William Smith also controlled the boards, outrebounding its host 44-37.
Ashley Clough led the Engineers (2-8, 0-1 Liberty) with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting with four triples. Amanda Lynch added 15 points and team-highs of nine rebounds and six assists. Ellen Boucher chipped in 11 points. RPI shot 43.5 percent from the floor with nine treys. The Engineers managed just 15 trips to the line, making eight.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by more than six points. With William Smith up one nine minutes before the half, Rensselaer scored seven straight points, capped by a 3-pointer by Michelle Reid (8 pts). The Herons countered with six straight points late in the half to tie the game at 28. The teams traded baskets to go into the break tied at 30.
Nine minutes into the second half, the game was knotted at 49. William Smith seized control of the game with an 11-1 run, including four points from Patterson. RPI answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a four-point game, but the Herons struck back with six consecutive points of their own part of a 15-5 run that pushed their lead to a game-high 14. William Smith led by at least eight the rest of the way.
The Herons will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 11, when they visit Skidmore (5-6, 0-2). Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.