The RPI women’s basketball team headed into the weekend with high hopes as they prepared to take on William Smith in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament. The Red Hawks, coming into the tournament, had gone 8-6 in Liberty League games. The team played well enough down the stretch, desperately clinging to the fourth and final spot in the conference rankings, securing themselves a postseason berth.
Friday night’s game was a primetime match-up to open up the playoffs, with a designated 8:10 pm tip off at Bristol Gym in Geneva, N.Y.
Rensselaer fell behind in the early going, struggling to get their offensive rhythm in sync. The Red Hawks battled back, taking their first brief lead around the nine minute mark.
William Smith, however, with the score tied at 28 and less than three minutes remaining in the first half, broke it open. The Herons, who shot 48.6 percent from the field in the game’s opening session compared to RPI’s 35.5 percent, went on a 15-0 run to close out the half. As a result, they took a 43-28 lead into the break.
The second half would only get worse for the Red Hawks. William Smith, whose shooting percentage actually increased in the second, shooting 53.6 percent, would go up by as many as 29 at one point, seemingly toying with their opponent.
RPI could not get things going as they continued to struggle, and their shooting percentage fell to 35.5 percent. The women were simply overmatched for the remainder of the game.
With the outcome of the game basically determined, play would drag on until the final gun. The Herons closed it out and came away with an 87-63 victory over the visiting Red Hawks.
William Smith was led by the all-too-familiar trio of Pria Young, Stephanie Czajkowski, and Marisa Vespa, who have haunted the Rensselaer women on two different occasions earlier in the year. All three were in double figures. Young tore it up, recording a game high of 21 points. Vespa was close behind with 18, while Czajowski chipped in with a modest 16 in conjunction with nine rebounds.
Freshman guard, and Liberty League Rookie of the Year, Whitney Coleman led the RPI attack, scoring a team high of 15 points. Fellow diaper dandy Kristen Danbury added 14 of her own, while junior Kristi Baranowski posted 11 points and nine boards.
William Smith, after Saturday’s victory, is 3-0 versus the Red Hawks this year. The Herons improved to 21-5, after winning the Liberty League Tournament with a 52-58 win over St. Lawrence. With the win, the Herons earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they will play St. John Fisher (25-2) this week.
RPI’s season comes to an end with the loss, leaving their final record at 14-10. Though their efforts fell short, Coach Greene’s team has a bright future and a lot to look forward to next year.
Seasoned upperclassmen will use their leadership, talent, and knowledge to guide the team as they have one more chance at a championship. A solid freshman class, with virtually each of them contributing over the entirety of the season, will only get better with more and more experience. In addition, another year of strong recruiting will top it off and hopefully complete the puzzle.
The Red Hawks have most of the necessary pieces in place, and hopefully will get the ball rolling often and early next season so that they will be able to build some momentum and head straight to the Liberty League Championship.
