SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – A late-game rally came up just short for the Union College women's basketball team on Friday night, as Rochester Institute of Technology escaped with a 56-54 victory in Liberty League action at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Senior Joana Santos led Union (7-9, 4-6 Liberty League) with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while sophomore Amber Raisner added 12 points and a game-best eight rebounds. Senior Elly Vaughan also filled up the stat sheet once again for the Dutchwomen, recording eight boards, seven assists and six points.
 
RIT (8-9, 6-4 Liberty League) was led by Brooke Stanley wit 19 points and four assists, and Sabrina Wolfe added 16 points.
 
The Tigers held their largest lead of the game at 55-45 with 57 seconds elapsed in the fourth quarter, and amazingly were able to hold on despite not making a field goal and hitting only one free throw the rest of the way. The Dutchwomen scored eight straight points to get within a point after a Vaughan jumper made the score 55-53 with 5:08 remaining.
 
That bucket would prove to be the last field goal of the game, as the two defenses combined to force 13 straight off-target attempts. Union continued to make stand after defensive stand to keep the team in the game, but the shots just did not fall for the home team. The Dutchwomen had one last chance to tie on the final possession and Raisner was fouled on a three-pointer with under two seconds left, but the sophomore rimmed out the second freebie and intentionally missed the third.
 
Raisner and Santos carried Union through the first quarter, with Santos scoring six points and Raisner adding five as the Dutchwomen trailed 14-11 after one. The home team never led in the opening frame, but the teams hit back-to-back buckets only once each as neither team took a commanding edge.
 
The Dutchwomen were red-hot in the second stanza, hitting 11-of-16 shots (68.8 percent) and outscoring RIT 27-18 to grab a halftime lead. RIT led by four at 20-16 before Union went on a 13-0 run over the next 7:20, hitting 5-of-6 shots and 3-of-4 from long range to take a 29-20 edge. The Tigers got back to within a point later in the frame, but the home team scored seven of the final nine points to take a 38-32 halftime lead, with Santos ending the period with a buzzer-beating jumper.
 
Union shot 51.6 percent (16 of 31) in the opening half, which helped to counteract an RIT press that forced 11 turnovers. The Dutchwomen held a 21-11 advantage on the glass during the opening 20 minutes, led by six from Vaughan, and had a 7-0 edge in second-chance points.
 
The third quarter proved to be pivotal, as the Tigers outscored the Dutchwomen 19-7 to open up a 51-45 lead after 30 minutes. Union shot just 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) in the frame, while RIT connected on 8-of-13 shots (61.5 percent).
 
For the game, Union shot 35.5 percent (22 of 62) from the field. The home team held a decisive 42-25 edge in rebounding, including 17 offensive boards, but only could manage three second-chance points in the second half.
 
Union will return to action tomorrow, when the Dutchwomen host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Alumnae Day beginning at 2 p.m.