SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Sophomore Jelena Perovic recorded a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds and senior Kennedy Clark added 10 points of her own as the Union College women's basketball team started Liberty League play with a 49-33 win over William Smith College on Friday night at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Perovic hauled in a career-best 13 boards in addition to her 10 points for the first double-double of her career, while Clark chipped in three rebounds and two steals with her 10 points. Senior Maddy Mandalinci added a career-best eight points and four rebounds and classmate Grace Enselek recorded six points and six boards as well for Union (2-3, 1-0 Liberty League).
 
The Union defense limited William Smith (0-6, 0-1 Liberty League) to 14 of 67 (20.9 percent) shooting from the field on the evening, with only one Heron scoring more than four points for the game. Brooke Jarvis scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 14 boards for the visitors, but was the only William Smith player to record a point until midway through the third period.
 
The visitors jumped out to a 9-5 lead midway through the first period, but Union closed with seven straight points from junior Claudia Porto, Enselek and Clark to take a 12-9 lead after 10 minutes. Union limited WSC to 4-of-22 shooting in the opening frame.
 
Union doubled up the Herons 10-5 in the second stanza, getting a team-best four points from Mandalinci to take a 22-14 lead into the locker rooms.
 
After a Jarvis layup to start the third frame, Union went on a 9-2 run to assume a 31-18 advantage with 3:45 left in the period, with Perovic chipping in a team-best four points. William Smith closed the third period on a 6-2 run and then started the fourth with a 7-2 stint to get back in the game at 35-31 with 7:22 on the clock. However, the Union defense clamped down and held the Herons scoreless for more than seven minutes, rattling off 14 straight points until a last-second WSC layup.
 
Union finished the game shooting just 26.6 percent (17 of 64) from the field, but forced 20 turnovers and converted them into 14 points to pull away in the final frame.
 
Union will return to conference play tomorrow with a 2 p.m. matchup against Rochester Institute of Technology at Viniar Athletic Center.