SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team lost to rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 59-48 in a Liberty League matchup at the Viniar Athletic Center on Friday night.
The loss is a difficult one for Union (12-6, 7-5 Liberty League), as the Dutchwomen drop from third place to fifth in the Liberty League standings with six conference games remaining. RPI (10-9, 5-7 Liberty League) moves into sixth place with the win.
Union was led by
Amber Raisner, who led the team in scoring with a season-high 18 points on the night. Alongside Raisner, senior
Sophie Borg recorded a double-double with 12 points and a season-best 11 rebounds.
In the first quarter, Union hit its first five shots from the field for 14 points in the first five minutes of play to make it 14-8, thanks to a 9-0 run that was ignited by a pair of threes from Raisner and sophomore
Corina Lindsay. At the end of the first, Union led RPI 20-13 as Borg and Raisner finished the quarter with six points apiece.
The Dutchwomen struggled offensively in the second quarter, as RPI outscored Union 12-4 over the 10-minute span to take a 25-24 lead into the locker room.
The second half opened with a 6-0 run from Union to take a five-point lead at 30-25. The two teams traded baskets for the next minutes before the Engineers went on a 10-2 run in the final 2:51 in the quarter. As a result, RPI led by a score of 41-36 at the end of the quarter.
Union had a tough time scoring to open the final quarter of play and RPI extended its lead to nine with 4:34 seconds to go. Union answered with a three-pointer from Raisner to bring the deficit to within six. But as Union continued to put pressure on RPI, the Engineers silenced any comeback hopes by answering each basket to pick up the win.
Union struggled to find the basket all game long, shooting 30.5 percent (18 of 59) from the field, while RPI did not fare much better, shooting 34.5 percent (20 of 58) on the night.
Union will look to bounce back against Vassar tomorrow at the Viniar Athletic Center at 2 p.m..
