The William Smith basketball team dominated the first quarter and never looked back in a 74-46 Liberty League win over Bard this afternoon. First-year Miranda Martin led the way with a game-high 13 points for the Herons.
Martin was 6-of-13 with a 3-pointer and added four rebounds. She was joined in double digits by senior Brooke Jarvis, who posted 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a 2-for-2 effort at the free throw line. Sophomore Carly Scott logged a season-high nine points, all from beyond the 3-point arc. William Smith featured a balanced offense as 12 of the 14 Herons to play notched at least two points.
Lexi Miller was the lone Raptor to reach double digits. She finished with a team-high 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
COACH’S CORNER
“I’m really proud of our team effort today. We moved the ball on offense and played together on defense.”
— Head Coach Lindsay Sharman
KEY STATS
- William Smith shot 41.2% from the floor in the first quarter with three 3-pointers, while limiting Bard to 7.7% shooting.
- The Herons committed a season-low seven turnovers while the Raptors committed 23.
- William Smith enjoyed a 27-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Molly Walsh staked the Herons to a 5-0 lead, opening the day’s scoring with a 3-pointer and following that with a driving layup.
- Jade Dinkins got the Raptors on the board with a jumper two minutes in, but William Smith responded with a 12-0 run to carry a 17-2 lead into the second quarter.
- Scott accounted for half of the Herons points during the surge, draining a pair 3-point jumpers.
- William Smith won the second quarter as well, 19-12, to take a 36-17 lead into halftime.
- Martin led all scorers with seven first half points. Eight different Herons registered at least two points in the first 20 minutes.
- William Smith stretched its lead to as many as 35 in the second half.
PLAYOFF CHASE
- With two games remaining in the regular season, the Herons (6-17, 6-10) are a game behind RIT (8-15, 7-9) for the sixth and final spot in the Liberty League Tournament.
- William Smith will play its final two games in Bristol Gym, hosting nationally-ranked Vassar (22-1, 16-0) on Friday and Union (9-14, 7-9) on Saturday.
- The Tigers will also be at home, hosting the Garnet Chargers on Friday and Bard (0-16, 4-17) on Saturday.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].