Norah Niesz led the way with 19 points, and the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team outscored William Smith 21-5 in the second quarter en route to a 68-47 win to open a crucial weekend of league games with tournament implications.

With the victory, St. Lawrence improved to 15-7 overall on the season and are 10-5 in Liberty League play, good enough for fourth place entering Saturday's contest against Skidmore.

"It was a really nice performance today against a team that got us at home," said Saints head coach Dan Roiger. "We worked on some specific goals this week and then we went out and accomplished them on both ends of the floor. We received of really nice performances today by a number of people, and what a first by Norah who had 17. And a spectacular team performance at the foul line on the second half when we made all 17!"

The game opened with St. Lawrence establishing an early lead, outscoring William Smith 19-11 in the opening quarter. Niesz set the offensive pace for the Saints and the defense held the Herons to 4-17 shooting from the field.

The Saints effectively put the game away in the second quarter with a 21-5 scoring run. During this period, St. Lawrence's defense reached its peak, holding William Smith to 13.5 percent shooting. The Saints were perfect from the free-throw line, going 6 -6. By halftime, St. Lawrence held a 40-16 lead.

Coming out of the locker room, William Smith found more offensive rhythm, but St. Lawrence matched them. The Saints outscored the Herons 19-15 in the frame. Elizabeth Flynn and Stevie Bannon were instrumental in this quarter, cleaning up boards and ensuring the Herons did not get second-chance opportunities. St. Lawrence hit two critical three-pointers during this stretch to keep the lead above 20 points, ending the period with a 59-31 advantage.

With the game largely decided, William Smith played their most productive basketball in the final ten minutes, outscoring St. Lawrence 16-9. St. Lawrence utilized their bench depth to close out the contest, maintaining a safe distance despite the late Heron surge.

Beyond Niesz's 19 points, Flynn posted 10 points to check in at second place. Bannon had nine points, but added a team-high 10 rebounds.

St. Lawrence has a quick turnaround with a 2 p.m. game time at Skidmore on Saturday as they wrap up their road schedule.