Geneva, NY – A hot end to the first half ended the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team’s momentum as the Golden Knights came out cold in the second half, falling to William Smith 75-52 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights dropped to 6-17 overall and 1-11 in Liberty League games, while William Smith improved their chances at a post-season appearance, moving to 13-9 overall and 7-4 in conference action.

Neither team was clicking much on the offensive end in the first few minutes as the two teams combined to make just three field goals in the first six-plus minutes, shooting 3-for-16 together over that span. Eventually, both offenses came around and the scoring came quickly. Over the final five minutes of the half, the two teams scored 22 points together and dramatically improved their shooting percentages. A 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Herons a one-point lead at the break, 29-28.

Sophomore Katie Goldberg (Stowe, VT) made a trio of 3-point field goals to lead the Knights with nine points while Michelle Reddinger (Baldwinsville, NY) came of the bench to score eight points on 4-for-7 shooting. Clarkson recovered from a slow start, making eight of its final 12 attempts for the floor to finish the half with a 40.7 shooting percentage (11-for-27). Paige Myers led William Smith with 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

Though Clarkson would start the second half with a basket to reclaim the lead, it would be the last the Knights would hold in the contest, as the Herons went on an 18-2 run over the course of the next four minutes to take a double-digit lead, something they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

While the Knights had ended the first half on a solid run of shooting, the second 20 minutes was not as kind as Clarkson struggled to shoot just 22.9 percent (8-for-35). William Smith, on the other hand, shot 51.5 percent from the floor (17-for-33) in the second half.

Reddinger finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Goldberg added in 14 points. Three scored in double figures for William Smith, led by Kristen Kush’s 18 points. Latasha Coney produced a double-double 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, while Myers finished with 13 points and 5 assists for the Herons.