Junior Caroline Dalton scored 13 of her team-high 19 points in the first half as the St. Lawrence University Women's Basketball team raced to a 42-28 halftime lead and cruised to a 72-60 victory Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game at Burkman Gym in Canton.
The Saints (6-2) opened the second semester after a nearly 25-day layoff with the non-conference win before opening Liberty League play next weekend with Vassar and Bard visiting Canton.
Both Brockport (4-3) and St. Lawrence started slow but with the score tied at 13-13 late in the first quarter, the Saints went on a 6-1 run to end the quarter with a 19-14 advantage.
Dalton started the second quarter with a 3-pointer and later connected on a jumper to extend the Saints lead to 10 points at 28-18. The teams traded baskets down the stretch to the end of the first have before Cara Waterson knocked down a 3-pointer and Kaelyn Kohlasch hit a late jumper and the Saints took a 42-28 lead into the halftime intermission.
"I thought it was an excellent game for us to start the new year on," said Head Coach Dan Roiger. "Brockport is a very good team with an incredible post player and we had to play well. Our first half was the best of the year so far, and the second half was solid although not quite as good."
Waterson opened the second half with another 3-pointer and Dalton added a jumper and free throw to extrand the lead to 16 points but Brockport battled back with six straight points trimming the lead to 10 at 48-38.
Ellie Gonyeau scored a layup with 4:09 left in the third quarter to give the Saints a 15-point advantage and neight team could score over the next four minutes and Dalton's jumper at the close of the third quarter made it a 57-44 Saints lead.
Brockport closed the gap to nine points with just less than five minutes remaining but Waterson stopped the threat with a jumper and Lauren Quattrocchi drained a 3-pointer at the 2:41 mark to make it a 13-point lead and the Saints were able to convert free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Dalton led St. Lawrence with 19 points while Scudder added 12 off the bench and Waterson scored 11 for the Saints. Dalton and Waterson each had seven rebounds while
Meghan O'Connor grabbed six rebounds. Kohlasch scored nine points and Quattrocchi added seven points and seven assists.
"It was really a team victory. Everyone contributed in positive ways," continued Roiger. "We were much more efficient with our offense and our 22 assists was an indicator of our ball movement. I hope we can keep building on that game."
