Box Score

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Sophomore Latasha Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons) sunk a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining to lead William Smith to a 56-51 victory over Rensselaer in the semi-finals of the ECAC Tournament. The Herons, the fifth-seed, improve to 16-11 and advance to the championship game against SUNY Brockport on Saturday. The Red Hawks, the eighth-seed, conclude their season with a 16-11 record.

With the score tied 21-21 at 3:40 of the first half, William Smith went on a 8-0 run to take a 29-21 lead with 1:09 remaining in the opening frame. Sophomore Whitney Coleman (Etiwanda, CA/Etiwanda), who led all scorers in the first half with 12 points, nailed a jumper to cut the Herons lead to six (29-23) heading into the break.

William Smith came out strong in the second half, going on a 5-0 run at 13:24 for a 40-31 lead led by a shot from beyond the arc by sophomore Paige Myers (Massena, NY/Massena).

Down by six with 3:59 remaining, the Red Hawks went on a 5-0 run, cutting the Herons lead to 52-51 with 38 seconds left in the game. A foul on Coleman, sent William Smith senior Paula Foote (Sidney, NY/Sidney) to the line with seven seconds left, who sank both shots for the three-point lead.

Senior guard Destany Eagles (Conway, SC/Carolina Forest) attempted the equalizer with three seconds left, but a late foul against the Red Hawks sent Coney to the line, sealing the Herons victory.

In addition to Coney, who had a team-best 13 points and a game-best six assists, William Smith saw two other players reach double digits in scoring. Junior Stephanie Czajkowski (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) added 12 points while freshman Erin Cunningham (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) added 11.

For RPI, Coleman posted a game-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%) with two rebounds. Senior forward Kristi Baranowski (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and sophomore guard Caitlyn Charest (Swansea, MA/LaSalle Academy) chipped in with eight points apiece with Baranowski adding a game-high 10 rebounds.