William Smith suffered its first loss of the women’s basketball season Saturday, falling 66-46 at Fredonia to finish opening weekend with a 1-1 record.
Ava Lobozzo scored 12 points and Amelia McCulley added 11 for the Herons, according to HWS Athletics. Fredonia won its season opener behind Aliyah Hopkins’ game-high 17 points and eight rebounds.
Fredonia led after every quarter, building a 17-11 advantage in the opening period while grabbing nine rebounds. The Herons pulled within 20-17 midway through the second, but the Blue Devils stretched the margin back to double digits before halftime.
William Smith scored eight points in the second quarter as Fredonia recorded six steals and outscored the Herons 14-8. The Blue Devils took a 31-19 lead into the break.
McCulley and Amanda Dempsey each hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter, but Fredonia again outscored William Smith 14-10 to carry a 45-29 lead into the fourth.
Both teams had their highest-scoring quarters in the final period. Fredonia scored 21 points while shooting 61.5% from the field, and William Smith scored 17 on 35.7% shooting. The Blue Devils also went 3-for-4 at the foul line in the quarter to close out the nonconference win.
Dempsey, a first-year player, finished with a career-high eight points, making two 3-pointers and both of her free throws. She also had a rebound and an assist.
Giana Lobozzo contributed seven points, five steals, three rebounds and an assist. Kira Ostovar scored five points and led William Smith with seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
Ava Lobozzo added four rebounds, an assist and a steal, while McCulley had three steals, two rebounds and an assist. Bridget McCleary collected four rebounds, and Jojo Sulmasy had three rebounds and a team-high two assists.
Grace Alexander gave Fredonia 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. Ashley Kalvitis added 11 points, five steals, two rebounds and two assists.
Fredonia finished with 21 steals and scored 24 points off William Smith’s 28 turnovers, according to the official box score. The Herons forced 19 turnovers and recorded 12 steals.
The Blue Devils shot 41% from the field to William Smith’s 30.6% and held a 30-29 rebounding edge. Fredonia had 15 assists to the Herons’ nine. Both teams made six 3-pointers and went 10-for-15 at the free-throw line.
William Smith returns to action Saturday, Nov. 14, with a 2 p.m. nonconference game against Pitt-Bradford in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.