The beginning of the first game against the Herons was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Each team had an answer for the other as both sides went shot for shot. Multiple lead changes swung the momentum as neither team was able to pull away.

Pria Young of William Smith had a very strong first half, a foreshadowing of what was to come, as she led the Herons with 12 points. The Red Hawks were paced by freshman guard Whitney Coleman, who tallied seven points as both teams headed into the break. The score remained close, 30-28 in RPI’s favor.

William Smith took the lead in the second half right around the 12-minute mark, and ceased to relinquish it. Using a 14-0 run as their catalyst, the Herons pulled away and left the Red Hawks in the dust. RPI did all it could to mount a comeback, coming within 11 points, but was simply overmatched and the efforts came up short.

Stephanie Czajkowski, a sophomore for the Herons, was the high scorer of the game, with 16 points. William Smith had two other players in double figures as well. Young had 14 while Marisa Vespa chipped in with 11 of her own.

RPI’s attack was led by Coleman, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Kristi Baranowski helped out with 12 points and seven rebounds, though the Red Hawks shot only 27 percent from the field.

Saturday, however, brought better luck for Rensselaer. Taking on the Continentals, the Red Hawks could not have gotten off to a better start.

Shooting the lights out, RPI opened up an impressive 22-point lead early on, and was able to hold an 18-point advantage heading into halftime. Coleman was at it again for the Red Hawks, as she shot 4-6 and led all scorers in the first half with 13 points.

When play resumed, RPI refused to let up. This time it was Baranowski who supplied the offense. The junior shot 8-11 from the field, scored 18 points, grabbed six boards, and helped the Red Hawks go up by as many as 25 over Hamilton in the second half.

Coleman, too, would finish with 18 points to her name in addition to three assists and one steal. For her weekend efforts, the Liberty League named the Etiwanda, Calif., native Guard of the Week. It was Coleman’s first such honor of the season. She has been named Rookie of the Week three times during the year.

Junior Destany Eagles also played a solid game, recording 12 points, three assists, and two blocks.

Continental freshman Sydney Fasula scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while senior Erin Daugherty had 14 and eight of her own. Hamilton was able to chip away at the lead as the game progressed, cutting the deficit to 10, but their efforts were futile, as the Continentals lost the game by the final score of 82-72.

The Red Hawks now have a record of 12-8 overall, and 6-5 in Liberty League play. The team stands alone in fourth place in the Liberty League standings. Thanks to Saturday’s win, RPI holds a one-game lead on Hamilton, and more importantly, the Red Hawks own the tie-breaker. With only the top four teams being invited to the league tournament after the regular season, that tie-breaker advantage could prove monumental for the Rensselaer women if Hamilton were to catch them.

On Tuesday, the Red Hawks destroyed Vassar 69-53 in Poughkeepsie to clinch the fourth and final slot in the Liberty League tournament. RPI could play either Union, St. Lawrence, or William Smith—all of whom are still within reach of the confernce’s top seed—in the first round of the playoffs.

The game’s difference maker proved to be shooting percentage. RPI hit 40 percent from the field while Vassar made only 28 percent of their shot attempts.

Baranowski led Rensselaer with a double-double, 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Eagles added 11 points and sophomore Tory Lyons had 10.