GENEVA, NY — The RIT (16-8, 9-6 Liberty League) women's basketball team came up with a critical Liberty League win Wednesday evening, defeating William Smith (16-8, 10-5 Liberty League) 79-50. With the win, the Tigers move into a tie for fourth place in the Liberty League standings with one game remaining.

RIT shot 52.4 percent from the floor on 33-of-63 shooting. The Tigers went an astonishing 11-of-18 from behind the arc, and made 2-of-4 form the foul line. Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) led four Tigers in double figures with 18 points. She was an efficient 7-of-9 from field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point land. Taylor Burns (Rochester, NY/Greece Odyssey) scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Cori Okada (Fullerton, CA/Troy) added 15 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Tara Lynch (Green Township, NJ/Newton) chipped in 12 points. Julia Bender (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) had seven rebounds, six assists, five points, and two steals for the Tigers.

The Tigers were impressive defensively as well, holding William Smith to 25.3 percent shooting from the floor. Melanie Patterson led the Herons with 11 points. Mia Morrison chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.

RIT and William Smith combined for just 19 turnovers.

"We talked about our defensive effort and how important that would be in winning tonight," said RIT head coach Amy Reed. "We took our game plan to the floor, had a balanced scoring effort and great shot selection."

RIT came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring William Smith 22-15. The Tigers took an early 11-2 lead on a Glaz 3-pointer. Taylor Burns (Rochester, NY/Greece Odyssey) drained two 3-pointers to give RIT the early lead. 

An Okada jumper with 2:01 to play in the quarter gave RIT a 21-10 lead, its largest of the quarter. Morrison scored with two seconds remaining in the quarter to cut the RIT lead to seven points. Burns finished with eight points in the quarter to pace RIT.

RIT kept the pressure on in the second quarter, outscoring the Herons 24-14. An Okada 3-pointer at the 5:58 mark of the quarter matched RIT's largest lead of the game to that point at 31-20. The Tigers extended their lead, using a 16-2 run to take a 44-22 lead on a 3-pointer by Okada with 1:34 to play in the half. Bender scored at the buzzer to give the Tigers a 48-29 halftime lead.

RIT shot an impressive 65.5 percent from the floor in the first half on 19-of-29 shooting, going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. It was the highest shooting percentage in a half by the Tigers this season. Okada led RIT with 15 points, while Burns and Lynch each scored eight points.

William Smith tried to rally in the third quarter. The Herons cut the Tigers lead to 54-41 on a 3-pointer by Sarah Brophy early in the quarter. Glaz answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the RIT lead back to 19-points. Amanda Olsen (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy) scored two straight buckets, including a steal and a layup to give RIT its largest lead of the quarter at 64-41. The Tigers would lead 66-46 at the end of the quarter.

RIT scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 73-46 en route to the 29-point victory.

"Julia (Bender) stepped up big and did a lot of little things that don't always get noticed," said Reed. "She played like a senior tonight along with Taylor (Burns)."

The Tigers return to action on Friday, Feb. 17 when RIT hosts Union College in Liberty League action from Clark Gymnasium at 6 p.m. RIT will honor seniors Julia Bender (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas), Taylor Burns (Rochester, NY/Greece Odyssey) and Ashlynn Palmitesso (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) prior to the game in their final regular season game at Clark Gym.