POTSDAM – With a run of three straight baskets midway through the fourth quarter William Smith turned a five-point deficit into a lead and never looked back as the visiting Herons defeated the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team 61-58 in Liberty League action Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights saw their overall mark evened at 8-8 and their conference mark drop to 3-4. William Smith remained unbeaten in conference games at 6-0 and improved to 12-3 on the season. Clarkson will look to get back on track on Saturday afternoon when it faces RIT.

William Smith came out strong with easy baskets on two of their first three possessions in the opening minute, but the Herons went cold for the next four minutes and mustered just five more points the remainder of the quarter. That slow spell allowed Clarkson to come back and take the lead with a plodding scoring pace. The pace changed in the second quarter as both teams nearly doubled their output from the first.

After a scoreless first quarter, Devin Sorell began to heat up late in the second period, tallying 12 points with three 3-pointers. Sorell's scoring surge was enough to push the Knights to a seven-point lead on a couple of occasions in the second, though William Smith cut the margin to five at the break.

The two teams posted nearly identical rebounding numbers and shooting percentages in the first half, though the Knights made more of their opportunities from the free throw line and the arc. Sorell had 12 points and four rebounds for Clarkson, while Mia Morrison and Natalia Baum contributed nine and eight points, respectively, for William Smith.

In the third quarter Clarkson extended its lead to as many as eight points on two occasions, but a 3-pointer from Alyssa DiCampli at the 4:55 mark pulled the Herons back to within five and Clarkson was unable to build on its momentum. Clarkson still led by five points at the 5:21 mark (53-48) after a 3-pointer from Devin Sorell, but DiCampli, Mia Morrison and Natalia Baum each scored baskets in the next 75 seconds to give William Smith the lead. Melanie Patterson converted a minute later and a free throw pushed the Herons lead to four (57-53).

Sorell buried another 3-pointer in the final minute to get the Knights back to within one, but a Baum jumper and a pair of free throws down the stretch were enough to hold off Clarkson.

Sorell led all scorers with 18 points, also chipping in six rebounds, while Kathleen Coloney tossed in 12 on 6-for-12 shooting. Stephanie Grobe also scored 11 points and Madison Shea had 10 rebounds and four assists. For William Smith, Natalia Baum scored 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and Mia Morrison added 15 points and nine boards. Alyssa DiCampli also scored 12 points for the Herons.