ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT women's basketball team led from start to finish to defeat St. Lawrence, 78-68, in the quarterfinals of the Liberty League Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- With a three-point lead halfway through the first quarter, first-year forward Ben Keyser-Cochran hit a three to start a quick 7-0 run, which gave RIT a 17-7 lead.
- Leading 21-13 at the start of the second quarter, Keyser-Cochran scored six points to extend the Tigers' lead to 13 with just under eight minutes to play in the half.
- The largest lead of the game came later in the second quarter when sophomore forward Faye Kaplinski made a layup to give RIT a 16-advantage with 3:15 left on the clock.
- In the second half, the Saints chipped away at the deficit, coming to within six points when Caelan McHarney converted a pair of free-throws to make the score 45-38.
- St. Lawrence cut RIT's lead to five points after converting four straight free-throws with less than three minutes to play.
- With the score 72-66 with under a minute remaining, RIT went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line to seal the win.
GAME NOTES
- Keyser-Cochran scored a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
- Senior guard Kaitlyn Bockelman added 21 points off 8-of-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 at the charity stripe. Bockelman also grabbed six rebounds and recorded a career-best five assists.
- Sophomore guard Maddy Ramsgard chipped in 14 points after hitting 7-of-8 from the field for the Tigers.
- The Tigers' last postseason win came in the 2018-19 season when RIT defeated Vassar in the semifinals of the Liberty League tournament before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
- The win against St. Lawrence is the first time the Tigers have defeated the Saints in the postseason, having lost twice on previous occasions.
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT travels to face top-seeded Ithaca in the semifinals this Friday (Feb. 28) at 5:30 p.m.
