Potsdam, NY – With a strong shooting performance in the second half, William Smith was able to end any hope of a comeback from the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team as the Herons held off the Golden Knights 73-57 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights dropped to 7-12 overall and 2-9 in the Liberty League, while William Smith moved to 11-9 and 7-4.

William Smith started the game with a smaller line up and used its speed to get to the basket for a few opening lay ups to take a 6-0 lead, but the Golden Knights responded by going on the interior and tied the contest at the 15:07 mark. However, the Herons adapted by going to the perimeter on the next possession as Sasha Borenstein nailed a 3-pointer and never looked back, going on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes. The Herons lead swelled to 13 points after a Sydni Salvatore 3-pointer two minutes later, but Clarkson cut back into the deficit and reduced it to seven after a 3-pointer from Jovanna Snead (Poughkeepsie, NY). That was as close as the Knights would get, with William Smith ending the half on a 9-2 run to claim a 16-point halftime advantage.

Freshman Brooke Butkovsky (Monroe, CT) had eight points to lead the Knights, but picked up three fouls. Noelle Miller (Hamburg, NY) was solid on the boards, grabbing seven defensive rebounds for Clarkson. Chloe Hayter scored 10 points, shooting 4-for-4 for the Herons, while Borenstein tossed in eight points. Jaimie Rubin contributed six points and five assists, and Jacqueline Murphy had nine rebounds.

In the second half, Clarkson got the opening basket to get back within 14 points, but that was as close as the Knights would get. William Smith quickly scored eight straight points and had its lead to 23 points, and maintained a 20-plus point lead for the next 12 minutes, finally relenting late as Clarkson was able to reduce the final gap to 16 points after a 3-pointer from Marissa Pelosi (Medfield, MA) with just over a minute remaining in the contest.

Freshman Leighann Tomita (Cerritos, CA) led Clarkson with 11 points, and Butkovsky finished with 10 points. Chrissy Scanlon (Queensbury, NY) added eight points, as did Pelosi.

For William Smith, Hayter finished the game perfect from the field at 7-for-7 for 18 points, while Kristen Kush closed with 11 points. Murphy added eight points and 10 rebounds, and Jaimie Rubin had six points, six rebounds, and nine assists.