SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team had its late-game comeback fall a few points short as the Garnet Chargers dropped a 68-64 contest to Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Junior Emma Riley led Union (2-4, 1-1 Liberty League) with 14 points to go with four rebounds and two assists, followed by sophomore Grace Ardito with 11 points off the bench. Senior Kennedy Clark added eight points, three caroms and three assists for the home team as well.
 
Hannah Durand paced RIT (3-2, 2-0 Liberty League) with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, followed by Lila McQuiggan with 15 points. Emma Waite also dished out 11 assists and grabbed six rebounds and Mya Richardson grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
 
Neither team shot well on the afternoon, with RIT finishing at 37.5 percent (27 of 73) and Union ending up at 34.5 percent (19 of 55). The Tigers won the game on the glass, recording 22 offensive rebounds and finishing with 30 second-chance points, though the Garnet Chargers managed 22 second-chance points of their own thanks to 12 offensive boards.
 
Union hit only 1-of-10 shots from the field in the opening frame, but got to the line 10 times and hit eight to remain within striking distance of an RIT squad that shot 54.5 percent (12 of 22) from the floor and 5-of-7 from long range.  The Tigers jumped out to a 16-4 lead before Ardito hit Union's first field goal of the game with 6:40 gone by in the contest, and the visitors took a 30-11 lead after 10 minutes.
 
The Garnet Chargers used an 8-2 run at the start of the second period to get within 13 at 32-19, with Clark scoring six of the team's points during the stint. The teams essentially traded baskets for the remainder of the stanza, with Ardito knocking down her third three of the opening half to make it a 46-31 RIT advantage at the break. Union shot 57.1 percent (8 of 14) in the second period to stay in the contest.
 
Union stayed with RIT for the entirety of the third quarter thanks to a 8-of-10 effort from the charity stripe, getting to within 11 at the end of the frame thanks to three straight freebies by first-year Casey Weeren.
 
The home team finally made its run with 3:15 remaining, rattling off nine straight points to make it a 66-62 game with 48 seconds remaining following a pair of free throws by senior Grace Enselek. Sophomore Grace Arcoleo hit a third-chance bucket with 11 seconds left to get within one possession, but a Durand free throw sealed the win for the Tigers.
 
Union will return to action on Wednesday with a Liberty League matchup at Bard College beginning at 5:30 p.m.