The victory dropped Vassar to 5-6, 0-1 on the season, while William Smith improved to 7-3, 1-0. The Brewers continue the opening weekend of Liberty League play with a 2:00 pm game at Hamilton Saturday afternoon.
In defeat, Vassar got another double figures scoring effort from junior center Rachel Cerlen (Short Hills, NJ/Milburn), who tallied a season-and-career high 18 points on 8 for 15 shooting from the field and added 13 rebounds.
William Smith led from start to finish and although the Brewers played an inspired second half after falling behind by 15 points (35-20) at intermission, VC was never able to get closer than five points in the second half. The Herons took that 35-20 halftime lead and used it as a cushion to withstand a strong comeback effort by the Brewers.
With 4:55 to play in the game, VC had whittled William Smith's lead to 47-42 on a layup by Cerlen, forcing the Herons to take a 30 second timeout. The hosts answered with a jumper by senior guard Pria Young (Richboro, PA/Council Rock) for a 49-42 lead and then defensively held VC scoreless for the next four minutes in building back a 13 point lead, 55-42. A key play during this stretch was a layup by William Smith sophomore forward Stephanie Czajkowski (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) with 2:19 to play, providing the Herons with some breathing room at 52-42.
VC's comeback was fueled, in part, by senior forward Meredith McGair (Cranston, RI/St. Mary’s Academy-Bay View) who scored six of her eight points in the second half, and the interior play of Cerlen.
The Herons built a comfortable 35-20 halftime lead on the strength of a 24-11 run, keyed by 10 points on 5 for 9 shooting by Foote (Sidney, NY/Sidney) and 14 first half turnovers by the Brewers. William Smith, leading by just two (11-9) at the 12:15 mark, pushed the margin to double digits at 10 points (22-12) during a six minute run in which the Brewers managed only three points, a jumper and single free throw by Cerlen, who had an impressive first 20 minutes with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Vassar College vs William Smith College 01-13-06 6 p.m. at Bristol Gym, Geneva, N.Y. At Bristol Gym, Geneva, N.Y. WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGE 57, VASSAR COLLEGE 44 VASSAR COLLEGE (5-6, 0-1 Liberty) Rachel Cerlen 8-15 2-4 18; Meredith McGair 2-10 4-6 8; Lizzie Evans 2-13 0-0 6; Erin Harper 2-6 0-0 5; Natalie Serkowski 0-4 3-5 3; Melissa Jones 1-2 0-0 2; Sarah Ames 1-3 0-2 2; Bridget Meade 0-0 0-0 0; Alison McSheehy 0-2 0-0 0; Lauren Rucker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-55 9-17 44. WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGE (7-3, 1-0 Liberty) Paula Foote 6-15 4-5 17; Pria Young 4-10 0-0 10; Seraphine Hamilton 3-4 1-2 7; Stephanie Czajkowski 2-6 2-2 6; Tanya Richvalsky 2-6 2-4 6; Paige Myers 1-4 1-3 3; Cindy Bors 1-1 0-0 2; Amanda Nann 1-3 0-0 2; Emily Alcott 1-8 0-0 2; Kristen Suatoni 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 22-63 10-16 57. Vassar College................ 20 24 - 44 William Smith College......... 35 22 - 57 3-point goals-Vassar College 3-14 (Lizzie Evans 2-6; Erin Harper 1-4; Natalie Serkowski 0-1; Melissa Jones 0-1; Alison McSheehy 0-2), William Smith College 3-16 (Pria Young 2-6; Paula Foote 1-2; Paige Myers 0-3; Emily Alcott 0-4; Kristen Suatoni 0-1). Fouled out--Vassar College-None, William Smith College-None. Rebounds-Vassar College 38 (Rachel Cerlen 13), William Smith College 46 (Paige Myers 8). Assists-Vassar College 11 (Erin Harper 7), William Smith College 14 (Tanya Richvalsky 4). Total fouls-Vassar College 12, William Smith College 13. A-110