SCHENECTADY, NY – The RIT women's basketball team (8-9, 2-6 Liberty League) let a double-digit second half lead slip away in a 58-56 loss at Union College (9-6, 3-4 Liberty League) at Viniar Athletic Center on on the campus of Union Tuesday evening. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 6-10 all time versus the Dutchwomen.

RIT shot 44.0 percent from the floor on 22-of-50 shooting. The Tigers were 6-of-17 from behind the arc, and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Ashlynn Palmitesso (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) led RIT with 18 points, while Merissa Maiorano (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Mendon) tallied nine points and grabbed eight rebounds. Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) and Taylor Burns (Rochester, NY/Greece Odyssey) each scored eight points.

Kate Thompson led Union with 16 points and seven rebounds. Natalie Leone added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Jenni Barra tallied 13 points and had three steals.
 
The Tigers trailed early, but took a 6-5 lead on a layup by Wolcott. Palmitesso scored seven straight points for RIT, extending the Tigers lead to 15-9 with 10:39 to play.
 
Caitlin Schmeer gave the Dutchwomen a brief one-point lead with 4:56 to play in the first half. That capped off a quick 5-1 burst by Union late in the half. Wolcott scored two straight buckets, followed by a 3-pointer from Palmitesso giving RIT a 26-20 lead with a little less than two minutes to play. After a Union 3-pointer cut the lead to 26-23, Palmitesso capped off the half for RIT with a long range jumper with six seconds to play, giving the Tigers a 28-23 halftime lead.

The Tigers shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the opening half on 13-of-26 shooting. Palmitesso led RIT with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a pair of three pointers. Wolcott added eight points, while Maiorano grabbed four rebounds.
 
Early in the second half, Union pulled to within two points when Leone converted a pair of free throws, cutting the Tigers lead to 33-31. RIT answered back with a 13-2 run, taking a 15-point lead on a 3-pointer by Burns with 13:01 to play. Burns had six of RIT's 13 points in that run on a pair of three's. The lead was the largest of the game for the Tigers.

Union would not go away, rallying from a 15-point deficit with an 18-8 run over a 11:16 span. Maiorano gave the Tigers a 54-46 lead with 4:22 to play when she put-back her own rebound. The Dutchwomen rattled off eight straight points capped off by Barra's free throws.

With 1:28 to play, Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) was fouled by Schmeer. The freshman stepped up and drained to clutch free throws giving RIT a 56-54 lead. After a Palmitesso miss, Thompson grabbed two offensive rebounds down low and put back her second attempt despite a RIT foul. She made the free throw, giving Union a 57-56 lead with :14 to play.

After a Tigers timeout, RIT got the ball to Glaz on the outside, but her three was off the mark. Erin Lyons made 1-of-2 free throws with :04 to play givng the Tigers one last desperation attempt, but Lyons stole the ball as the buzzer sounded, preserving the win.
 
Union won the battle of the boards, 34-28. The Tigers scored 20 points in the paint, and 20 points off of 20 Dutchwomen turnovers.
 
The Tigers are off until Friday, Jan. 30 with a road contest at league foe Clarkson University that gets underway at 6 p.m.