Herons Outlast Saints In Overtime, 81-76

by: 

Tara Freeman

Katie Edgerton '12 recorded 19 points against William Smith on Saturday.

 Feb. 12:  Led by a junior forward Kristen Kush's 28 points, William Smith posted an 81-76 overtime win against St. Lawrence in the Burkman Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints fall to 17-5 with an 8-4 record in the Liberty League, while the Herons improve to 13-10 with an 8-4 conference record.  There is now a three-way tie for first place between St. Lawrence, William Smith and Union. 

"That's a tough one because we played our hearts out," said St. Lawrence head coach Dan Roiger.  "We just needed to make one more play and couldn't do it. We gave a great effort, as did William Smith, and it was a fun game to coach and play. We need to shake it off and keep moving forward, getting ready for next week, because both those teams are outstanding as well."

St. Lawrence, which led 37-36 at halftime, was led by junior co-captain Katie Edgerton with 19 points and five rebounds, while classmate Casey Capello added 15 points and three blocks.  Sophomore Erica Spera tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Saints.  Joining Kush in double-figures was Mollie Danahy with 14 points. 

With 10 seconds left in regulation, a St. Lawrence foul sent Kush to the line where she made the first to knot the score at 67-67.  The second free throw missed and the Saints grabbed the rebound but were unable to convert the layup at the other end as time expired. 

In overtime, St. Lawrence trailed but never by more than three points and was left without two of its top post players after the first 1:16.  Spera was charged with her fifth foul at the 4:18 mark and 34 seconds later first-year student Kelly Legg joined her on the bench.  

At the 1:00 minute mark in overtime, first-year student Katie Abramski tied the game with a pair of free throws.  With 31 seconds left, Kush countered with a layup at the other end of the floor, putting William Smith in the lead, 78-76.

The Saints tried to claim the lead with a 3-pointer but it would not fall and William Smith's Jaimie Rubin grabbed the rebound and was fouled.   She converted both free throws and the Saints had another possession but turned the ball over, forcing St. Lawrence to foul again.  William Smith converted the first of two free throws to complete the afternoon's scoring.    

With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Saints are tied with the Herons and Union (13-7, 8-4) for first place. Skidmore (11-11, 7-5) is one game back in fourth place, while RPI (10-12, 6-5) and Vassar (12-10, 6-5) are tied for fifth place. The top four teams qualify for the Liberty League championship tournament.

The Saints travel to Skidmore and Union next weekend to complete regular season play.