ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT women's basketball team defeated William Smith, 86–67, on Friday. The Tigers won their fifth straight contest behind a 25-point third quarter that broke the game open after a tight first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sophomore forward Ben Kayser-Cochran opened the scoring with a jumper before William Smith responded with an early three as the teams traded baskets through a 22–18 first quarter.
- In the second quarter, junior forward Faye Kaplinski scored on a tip‑in to tie the game at 26–26 before the visiting Herons briefly took the lead. RIT answered with baskets from junior guard Maddy Ramsgard and senior guard Erin DiPaola to take a 40–38 halftime advantage.
- Early in the third, sophomore guard Caroline Henderson drilled back-to-back threes as part of a 14–3 RIT run that built a double-digit lead at 48–38.
- Graduate student guard Hannah Durand added a three-pointer at 4:59, and graduate student forward Sydney Pearson scored to stretch the advantage to 63–41 late in the quarter. RIT outscored William Smith 25–8 in the period.
- Kayser‑Cochran opened the fourth with a three-point play to give the Tigers a 22-point lead.
- First-year forward Caroline Smith converted a late layup‑and‑free‑throw sequence as RIT closed out the 19‑point victory.
GAME NOTES
- Kayser‑Cochran led RIT with 15 points, with Durand adding 12 points after shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with two threes.
- Ramsgard scored 13 points and dished four assists, while Henderson hit three third-quarter threes for nine points.
- RIT shot 31-for-56 (55.3%) from the floor and 7-for-18 from three while adding 17-of-18 free throws.
- The Tigers received 39 points from the bench as a total of 12 players scored.
- RIT improves to 12–6 overall and 9–2 in Liberty League play.
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT is back in action tomorrow (Jan. 31), hosting Ithaca at 2 p.m.
