Box Score Box Score / Liberty League Standings

CLINTON, N.Y. - The Rensselaer women's basketball team got a game-high 18 points from Whitney Coleman and the first place Engineers defeated Hamilton, 63-54, for their fifth straight win.  RPI, which has now won eight of its last nine contests, improves to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in the league.  The Continentals fall to 8-6 and 1-3.

Rensselaer fell behind early in the game, trailing by as many as five points, before taking its first lead of the contest, 21-19, on a three-point basket by junior Allison Connor (Hudson, NY/Hudson) with 3:18 left in the first  half.  The hoop started an 8-0 run for the visitors, who went on to lead by six points, 28-22, at halftime.

RPI maintained its lead throughout the second half, building it to as many as 10 points (48-38) on a basket by Hillary McKinley (Quinebaug, CT/Tourtellotte Memorial) just past the midway point of the frame.  A pair of free throws by Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda) gave the Engineers a 12-point lead less than two minutes later.  Hamilton would get no closer than six points from that point on and RPI remained in first place in the league.

Coleman, a graduate student, made 5 of 10 shots from the floor and 7 of 10 from the free throw line to pace RPI.  She also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Connor finished with 13 points, including three three-pointers, while McKinley had seven points and five boards.  The Engineers finished with a huge advantage at the free-throw line as they made 20 shots while Hamilton was just 3 of 6 at the stripe.

Hamilton was led by Eliza Howe (Westport, CT/Staples), who had 11 points with five rebounds.  The Continentals are now 21-25 all-time against Rensselaer.