GENEVA, N.Y.—The frontcourt tandem of
Ashlinn Barber and
Kristen Kush combined for 53 points and 22 rebounds leading William Smith to an 85-62 Liberty League victory over Clarkson in Bristol Gym tonight. Barber secured her seventh double-double of the season by halftime, finishing with 26 points and 16 rebounds, while Kush posted a game-high 27 points and six boards.
The Herons (7-14, 3-8) broke open a tightly contested first half with the final eight points, including the first four points from Barber. William Smith carried a 42-34 lead into the break behind 15 points and 11 boards from Barber. The Herons were outshot in the first 20 minutes (46.7% to 35.7%), but enjoyed a 27-19 advantage on the glass and forced 15 CU turnovers while committing just six.
Clarkson (6-16, 2-9) trimmed its deficit to just four early in the second half, but William Smith countered with a 14-4 surge to build a 58-44 lead. Kush netted eight during the run.
The Knights made one last push, scoring seven unanswered points to make it a 58-51 game, but the Herons slammed the door shut on any comeback thoughts with a 21-4 run that put the game out of reach.
William Smith outshot Clarkson in the second half (44.4%-40.7%) and finished the game with a 47-35 rebounding edge, and forced 27 turnovers, while committing 11. The Heron backcourt kept feeding the ball inside to Barber and Kush and rang up a season-high 27 assists.
Sydni Salvatore led the way with eight helpers, while
Mollie Danahy added seven and
Jaimie Rubin dished out six.
Katie Goldberg led the Golden Knights with 13 points, while Lauren Pluchino added 12 and Michelle Reddinger scored nine points and collected a team-high nine rebounds.
The Herons will be back in action at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12, when they host St. Lawrence (15-6, 7-4). The Golden Knights will visit Hamilton at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12.