Shayna Davner scored 10 of her team-leading 16 points in the second half as the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team used a late third quarter run and steady play in the final period to finish the first semester schedule with a 67-57 victory over SUNY Canton Thursday night at the Roos House in Canton.
With the score tied 36-36 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter, Davner converted a pair of free throws to give the Saints (2-5) the lead for good and Cara Waterson added a pair of 3-pointers before Davner added a three-point play for a double-digit lead. Waterson added a layup and Briana Monroe drained a 3-pointer with three seconds left to give St. Lawrence a 52-37 lead going into the final quarter.
"I was happy with the way the team responded playing with a short bench due to some injuries," said head coach Dan Roiger. "We were down a couple starters and players stepped up when they needed to. The upcoming break will give us some time to recover before we start the important Liberty League games."
Canton (1-7) started to chip away at the lead to start the fourth quarter but Davner hit a 3-pointer to regain control for the Saints.
After Canton cut the lead to 10 points at 55-45 with 6:20 remaining, Meghan O'Connor, Meghan Hynes and Caroline Rodi combined for the next seven points to stretch the SLU lead to 17 points with 3:22 on the clock and the Saints cruised to the win. Canton added a pair of late 3-pointers to trim the lead but Rodi and Sarah Thomas iced the win from the free throw line.
Davner led the way with her 16 points while Hynes added 13 and Waterson chipped in 12 for the Saints. O'Connor had a team-leading 12 rebounds while Annabella Pugliese grabbed nine rebounds, recorded four steals and blocked five shots in her first start for St. Lawrence.
The Saints are off until the end of December when they will start Liberty League play against Union and Rensselaer on December 30 and 31.
