CLINTON, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth 71-68 matchup to Hamilton College in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.
 
Senior Jelena Perovic led Union (4-2) with 19 points and added eight rebounds, followed by classmates Grace Ardito and Grace Ceseretti with 14 points apiece. Sophomore Olivia Cunningham chipped in eight points and a team-leading 11 rebounds as well for the visitors.  
 
Saturday's game was an incredibly tight affair, with neither team leading by more than six points for the entirety of the 40 minutes, and the teams combined for 13 ties and 14 lead changes on the afternoon. Union shot 41.3 percent (31 of 75) on the day and Hamilton connected at a 44.6 percent (29 of 65) clip, but Hamilton (6-4) held a 10-2 edge in makes from the free-throw line to help account for the final advantage.
 
Ceseretti and Ardito carried the Garnet Chargers in the opening half, combining for 26 of the team's 36 points, as Ceseretti hit 6-of-11 shots from the field and Ardito sunk 5-of-7 attempts in the first 20 minutes. Cunningham also led all players with six boards in the first two periods of play.
 
Ceseretti led the way with nine points in the opening frame, as Union outscored Hamilton by a 22-20 margin. The visitors shot 55.6 percent (10 of 18) from the field and the home team connected on 9-of-12 attempts as part of a fast-faced frame, which saw Union lead by as many as five after an Ardito step back with 3:07 left.
 
Following an Ardito three to open the second stanza, Hamilton went on an 8-2 run to take a 28-27 lead with 4:24 left. The Garnet Chargers responded with seven straight points to open up the biggest advantage of the game (34-28) with 2:19 on the clock, but the Continentals ended on an 9-2 stint to take a one-point lead into halftime.
 
After a closely fought third period, Union went into the fourth with a one-point edge and the deficit never grew larger than four for either side the rest of the way. A tough offensive board and put back by junior Morgan Schultz followed by a Perovic drive to the hoop made it a 63-59 game with 5:29 on the clock, but Hamilton came back with four in a row to knot the score with under four to go. A Perovic bucket tied the score again at 67 with two minutes remaining before the home team took back the lead on the next possession.
 
A Perovic free throw made it a one-point game with 39 seconds left and the Garnet Chargers had an excellent defensive possession to seemingly force a shot clock violation, but Hamilton got two seconds back and Zoe Myslewicz scored from close range to make it a three-point game with 7.9 seconds remaining. Union had a pair of shots to tie the game, but threes from Ceseretti and Ardito rimmed out.
 
Union will look to rebound on Wednesday, when the Garnet Chargers play their first game at the Puerto Rico Clasico against Johnson & Wales University beginning at 9:00 a.m. (ET).