The William Smith College basketball team fell to RPI Friday evening, 84-73, to open up Liberty League play. The Herons fall to 1-4 on the season while the Engineers move to 4-3 with the win.
Junior Brooke Jarvis led the Herons, posting a career-high 31 points while shooting 50% from the floor and 90% from the free-throw line. First-year Mara Bledsoe chipped in a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds for the Herons.
TEAM TOTALS
- Rebounds: William Smith 43, RPI 27
- Assists: RPI 23, William Smith 19
- Turnovers: William Smith 21, RPI 10
- Steals: RPI 14, William Smith 7
- Blocked Shots: William Smith 2, RPI 2
HERON STAT LEADERS
- Scoring: Brooke Jarvis 31, Mara Bledsoe 14, Maddie Patrick 9
- Rebounding: Maddie Patrick 12, Brooke Jarvis 7, Mara Bledsoe 7, Katie Smythe 7
- Assists: Kerstin Kelly 6, Fiona Horan 5, Brooke Jarvis 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The battle between the Herons and the Engineers started early with both teams trading the early points. Sophomore Maddie Patrick scored the first five points for the Herons to set the tone for the game.
- Jarvis and Bledsoe combined for 10 of the Herons’ 17 points in the second quarter to keep William Smith within ten heading into the half.
- The third quarter continued to be a battle between the Herons and Engineers. RPI would go on a short run to start the half, but William Smith would find a way to fight back into the game.
- Senior Kerstin Kelly hit a three-pointer just three minutes into the half to cut the Engineer lead to eight.
- Kelly’s three-pointer sparked a comeback for the Herons, who would cut the lead to four after layups by Jarvis and Patrick.
- RPI would find points from Hannah McGrath and Nicole DaPra to give the Engineers an 11-point lead heading into the final quarter.
- Jarvis would post 10 of her 31 points in the fourth quarter to help the Herons get back to within four yet again, but the Engineers would use the clock to their advantage and capitalize from the free throw line to close out the game at 84-73.
COACHES CORNER
“Although we didn’t get the result we hoped for, we definitely took a step in the right direction,” Head Coach Lindsay Sharman said. “We out-rebounded a really good rebound team and looked well offensively, we just need to find a way to put it all together. We look forward to keep growing as a unit tomorrow against Vassar.”
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action Saturday when they take on Vassar in a conference matchup. Tip off between the Herons and the Brewers is set to start at 2 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].