SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou scored seven of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter as William Smith College outlasted Union College by a 55-47 score in Liberty League women's basketball action on Tuesday night at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Dimitrakopoulou came on late to lead William Smith (7-4, 3-1 Liberty League) to the win and was joined in double figures by Olivia Parisi with 13 points. Sophomore Anna Metcalf led Union (4-6, 1-3 Liberty League) with 14 points off the bench.
 
Union started out slowly on the offensive end, as William Smith built up a 10-2 lead by the midway point of the first quarter. Metcalf got Union out of its offensive lull with a three-pointer and eventually added another as the home team closed to within three at 14-11 after 10 minutes. Metcalf scored eight of the team's 11 first-quarter points to keep the home team in the game.
 
The Dutchwomen tightened up defensively in the second stanza, limiting the Herons to 2-of-14 shooting. The offense picked up later in the frame, as Union closed on a 10-3 run to take its first lead of the game into halftime up 23-21. Metcalf, sophomore Laura Vinton and freshman Megan Lee all scored baskets over the final five minutes, during which Union held William Smith without a point.
 
After 20 minutes, Union limited William Smith to 22.2 percent shooting (8 of 36), despite the Herons grabbing 11 offensive rebounds and taking 10 more shots than their opposition.
 
Both teams shot well in a relatively high-scoring third quarter, with William Smith outscoring Union 18-16 to knot the score at 39 headed to the fourth. Neither team led by more than four points during the period, which ended with a pair of Lee layups in the final 20 seconds to tie the score.
 
The shooting touch deserted Union in the final frame, however, with the home team connecting on just 1-of-11 shots. Despite that, excellent defense kept the Dutchwomen in the game as a Metcalf jumper made the score 45-44 with 3:22 to go. But WSC's Annaliese Schreder hit a three on the next possession to spur a 7-0 run for the Herons, who finished the game on a 10-3 stint to close out the contest.
 
Neither team put up good shooting numbers, as Union shot 18-of-55 (32.7 percent) from the field and William Smith shot 31.3 percent (20 of 64).
 
Union will remain at Viniar for a pair of conference clashes over the weekend, beginning on Friday night against Bard College at 5:30 p.m.