Bledsoe’s career-high 16 points leads Herons against Engineers

Sophomore Mara Bledsoe shot 60% from the floor for a career-high 16 points as the William Smith College basketball team fell to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 74-55 this afternoon in ECAV Arena. The Herons fall to 2-13 on the season and 2-4 in conference play, while the Engineers move to 6-9 overall with a 3-5 mark in the Liberty League.

Bledsoe’s 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal led William Smith in the loss. Senior Brooke Jarvis added 14 points and six rebounds for her seventh-straight game in double-digits, while first-year Amelia McCulley chipped in nine points and two rebounds.

Junior Siena Smith led the Engineers with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. She added five steals and two blocks in the win.

TEAM TOTALS

• Rebounds: RPI 39, William Smith 26
• Assists: RPI 15, William Smith 12
• Turnovers: William Smith 19, RPI 18
• Steals: William Smith 13, RPI 11
• Blocked Shots: RPI 4, William Smith 3

HERON STAT LEADERS

HOW IT HAPPENED

• RPI opened the game on a 6-0 run before Jarvis ended the Engineers scoring streak with a driving layup.
• The remainder of the first quarter saw both teams trade points with RPI maintaining their lead throughout.
• First-year Ava Lobozzo closed out the first quarter with three straight points to cut the Herons deficit to eight heading into the second.
• First-year Amelia McCulley opened the second quarter with a deep three in hopes of sparking a quick comeback. The Engineers had different plans, going on an 11-0 run to extend their lead to 18.
• Junior Molly Walsh snapped RPI’s streak with a pull up jumper which was followed by another McCulley three to give William Smith a 5-0 run.
• The Engineers continued to push the tempo offensively and closed out the half on a 12-3 scoring run to give RPI a 50-25 lead heading into halftime.
• RPI opened the second half with back-to-back layups by Smith to give the Engineers their largest lead of the game.
• Bledsoe caught the hot hand for the Herons, sinking three straight free throws and…