Red Hawks kill Herons point by point at foul line

An effective full court press, a lot of heart, and great free throw shooting down the stretch led the Rensselaer Red Hawks to a 56-49 win over William Smith. This marked the first win over the Herons in almost two years.

William Smith, the UCAA’s and upstate New York’s perennial powerhouse, took a 6-0 lead in the early going and it seemed like business as usual. Still, despite trailing, the Red Hawks maintained their poise. This relaxed attitude may have come from the belief that their defense was solid enough to keep them in the game. But things didn’t look good. The Herons had the lead, their bench was chanting "defense" and the thought that the Red Hawks would get run over yet again ran through the crowd.

But then Freshman Kristin Kaczynski stole the ball and Rensselaer managed to capitalize as Senior Kristen Campbell drove for a lay-up. Campbell struck again for another two in the post to make it 6-4. The chant of "defense" died down a little, but RPI players continued to press on defense and dive on the floor for loose balls.

The game hit a lull in the middle of the first half as neither team seemed to be able to capitalize on the other’s mistakes. Then, a score off an offensive rebound and a pair of free throws allowed the Herons to open a 12-7 lead with about eight minutes to go.

William Smith had a chance to up that lead, but the shot rolled off the rim. Rensselaer Senior Shannon Pratt hit a baseline jumper to cut it to 12-9. Junior Holly Neiweem then stole the inbound pass, but the Red Hawks couldn’t capitalize.

With the Herons up 14-9, Senior Co-Captain Kate Shulten drove down the right side but her shot rimmed out. Pratt rebounded and passed it to Neiweem who was fouled going up. Neiweem converted only one of her two free throws.

This sequence was typical of the first half. It seemed like the Red Hawks would get close, but couldn’t make the plays to take the lead.

Rensselaer had a bid of a lapse as William Smith went on a mini-run to raise the score to 18-11. The only thing that kept the lead from growing further was the Red Hawks hustle.

After RPI converted several free throws, Shulten scored 2 in the post and then hit a free throw to cut the lead to 18-16. William Smith then made it 20-16 when Junior Melissa Coppola scored and was fouled with 6.5 seconds remaining in the half. Coppola missed the free throw and the half ended with the Herons on top 20-18.

In the second half, the Red Hawks fell behind 24-18. The Herons’ bench began chanting "defense" again.

With William Smith leading 29-22, Rensselaer began to mount a comeback. Freshman Alyssa Comis hit for 2, and Campbell followed with consecutive scores to cut the lead to 2. The Red Hawks had the ball with a chance to tie, but failed.

Then Shulten stole an attempted inbound pass with Campbell converted at the other end to knot the score at 32. Comis then proceeded to nail a top-of-the-key jumpshot to give the Red Hawks their first lead.

Suddenly, the William Smith bench was quiet and the enthusiasm on the Rensselaer bench, which never stopped, got even more raucous.

The final three minutes saw both teams trade baskets, but the Red Hawks never gave up the lead, and built it up as large as 7. The Herons hit a three to make it 47-43. William Smith began to foul, but with Neiweem handling the ball and hitting seven of her eight free throws down the stretch, Rensselaer came out with a 56-49 victory.

Weaved throughout this second-half comeback was the spirit of the Red Hawks, led by Shelton and Coppola. Shelton grabbed 12 boards on the day, and seemed to be everywhere when Rensselaer needed a play. Coppola put in several putbacks, further fueling the comeback. Additionally, Campbell seemed to be in particularly good form as she attacked the rim at will.

In the second game of the weekend, the Red Hawks overcame a slow start to defeat the Continentals of Hamilton 76-63.

Coppola carried the Red Hawks for much of the early going, and finished with 19 points and 11 boards. Campbell was perfect from the field and put in 13. Kaczynski, the UCAA Rookie of the Week, added 8.

"Hamilton was a great win," said Head Coach Kim Rybczyk. She went on, "Our win over William Smith might seem bigger, but Hamilton is a really tough team."

In action last night, Coppola led the way with 20 points and 17 boards in a 82-63 win over Vassar. Neiweem and Kaczynski each had 14.

This weekend, the Red Hawks will be on the road in the North Country taking on league leading St. Lawrence and Clarkson.