St. Lawrence University first-year guard Kaelyn Kohlasch scored a career-high 24 points while senior captain Kara McDuffee had her first career 20-20 game to lead the Saints past Union College 74-65 in the Liberty League Semifinals on Wednesday evening in Canton, NY.

St. Lawrence (20-6, 13-3) saw Kohlasch get hot early before finishing 8-for-12 from the field including six three pointers, bettering her previous career-high by 14 points. McDuffee had 21 points and 20 rebounds , as the Saints outscored the Dutchwomen 27-0 from behind the arc. Union rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to take the lead thanks to a 17-5 run, and got 15 points from Natalie Leone and 14 from Kate Thompson. The Dutchwomen finish the season with a 17-9 record.

"I thought the game played out as anticipated, as they attacked the rim hard and we knew they were a great rebounding team. In their second half run, everything they put up went in and we allowed them to get to the basket and we struggled on the offensive end," said Saints head coach Dan Roiger, who will coach in the conference title game for the fifth straight year. "I thought our team kept its composure and executed the game plan extremely well over the last eight minutes."

Both teams shot 42% from the floor in the game, while St. Lawrence closed with a 44-41 rebounding advantage thanks to McDuffee and a 17-7 lead in assists, with Kohlasch and Lauren Quattrocchi leading the way with six each. Amy Fisher had eight rebounds for Union, which outscored St. Lawrence 40-22 in the paint.

Kohlasch kick started St. Lawrence in the first half with two three pointers to take an early 8-0 lead. Union would stay within striking distance by driving to the basket and converting lay-ups or free-throws (9-of-12). The Dutchwomen had the deficit to seven points after a layup by Abby Katz with :07 seconds left, only to see Allison Cady knock down a last-second buzzer beater to give the home team a 40-31 lead at the break. Kohlasch led all players with 16 points, while McDuffee had a double-double in the first half alone (11 points, 12 rebounds).

The Dutchwomen established momentum early in the second half, taking the lead for the first time at 46-45 just 6:33 into the period, as the Saints didn't record a field goal in the opening five minutes. The visitors grew the lead thanks to stead interior play, and a jumper by Erin Lyons made it 54-49 with 8:54 to go.

Kohlasch would come up with the pivotal basket on the next possession, as she knocked down a three to swing momentum back in St. Lawrence's favor after seeing Union's big run. That shot turned the game around, as the Saints went on a 18-4 run, catapulting the home team back ahead 67-58. McDuffee nailed two threes, and after a layup by Quattrocchi, Kohlasch and Cady capped the run in style with jumpers for the nine-point lead with 3:42 left.

Union refused to go quietly, as Lyons' hit a big and-1 with 1:48 to play to get the Dutchwomen within four, 67-63. However, that would be the final field goal made by Union in the game, as St. Lawrence stepped up its defense and clamped down for the 74-65 win to advance to Saturday's title game.

"Kaelyn, who is a great shooter, got really confident today and was looking for her shot all night and she really filled up the basket. She played a complete game, adding three steals, six assists, took a charge and really did it all tonight on the big stage," said Coach Roiger. "Kara showed tonight why she's the best player in the league because she can score from inside and outside and is a phenomenal rebounder who wants the ball every single play."

The Saints will host the No. 2-seeded Skidmore Thoroughbreds on Saturday, February 28 at 3:00pm with a spot in the NCAA Tournament field on the line. The Thoroughbreds swept the season series with the Saints, and advanced on Wednesday by defeating Clarkson, 65-57.