TROY, N.Y. – Senior Heather Converse scored a team-high 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team topped the St. Lawrence Saints in overtime by a 76-71 final score from ECAV Arena Tuesday evening in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament.
 
With the win, RPI improves to 14-12 on the season, while St. Lawrence concludes their season with a 13-12 overall mark, and 8-9 league record. The Engineers now advance to the semifinals of the Liberty League Tournament, where they will take on second-seeded Ithaca on Friday night at 6 p.m.
 
Both sides matches offensive tempo in the first quarter, as both teams came out firing and scored on the first six possessions of the game. RPI eventually gained an advantage, moving out to a seven point lead with 2:46 to play in the opening frame thanks to a three-point play from Converse. However, the Saints held the Engineers scoreless over the remainder of the quarter, pulling the score to 22-19 after the first quarter.
 
Despite tying the score twice in the second quarter, St. Lawrence could not take the lead as RPI held a slim lead throughout the 10 minutes and went into the locker room at halftime with a 33-31 lead.
 
The Saints opened the second half with a small 5-0 run, as a three-pointer from Shannon Rhone put St. Lawrence ahead for a short while as both sides jostled for the lead during the third quarter. With 3:18 to play in the third, a layup from Olivia Barringer game St. Lawrence a 42-39 lead. From that point, RPI used a 10-0 run to jump ahead 49-42 before heading into the third quarter leading by four.
 
Each side held a lead no larger than four points in the fourth quarter, with RPI holding theirs with 1:43 to play. However, St. Lawrence converted points on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 63-all with 40 seconds to play. After an RPI turnover, the Saints missed on their chance to win the game in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.
 
In the extra session, RPI used a pair of clutch three-pointers from senior Lolo Reynolds to catapult them to an eight-point lead with 14 seconds to play, a lead too big for the Saints at that point.
 
Brielle Sharry backed up Converse's effort with an 18 point night on 7-for-14 shooting, while Converse added team-highs with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Nicole DaPra (14 points) and Reynolds (12 points) also finished in double-figures.
 
Barringer and Caelan McHarney each supplied double-doubles for the Saints, with Barringer scoring a team-high 16 points with 10 rebounds. McHarney scored 15 points but grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and three assists. Shannon Rhone (12 points) and Hannah Van Dyke (11 points) also finished in double-figures for St. Lawrence.