SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Senior Jelena Perovic led all players with 17 points and added two blocks as part of a defense that limited Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to 25.0 percent shooting from the field as the Garnet Chargers finished off a perfect Liberty League weekend with a 62-41 win on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
With its eighth win in the last 10 games, Union (14-5,10-2 Liberty League) remains tied atop the Liberty League standings with six games remaining and moves to 5-1 this season against other teams in the top-five of the conference. Rensselaer (13-6, 8-4 Liberty League) falls into a tie for fourth place with the loss, its seventh straight to Union.
 
Perovic hit 7-of-13 shots from the field and added five boards and two blocks in the victory, as she was one of three Garnet Chargers in double figures. Seniors Grace Ceseretti and Grace Ardito added 10 points apiece for the home team, with Ceseretti also adding six assists for the second straight outing, and sophomore Olivia Cunningham added a game-high 12 rebounds as well.
 
The Garnet charged out of the gates on Saturday, hitting eight of their first 11 shots from the field to take a nine-point edge after one period. Union built up its largest lead of the frame at 15-8 after a three from Ardito and a Perovic pull-up jumper. Another Ardito bucket and a three from senior Kate Peek rounded out the scoring to make the score 20-11 in favor of the home team.
 
Union shot 33.3 percent in the second stanza, but limited RPI to a 3-of-15 effort from the field to outscore the Engineers by a 13-7 margin and expand the lead to 15 at the half. Perovic had nine of the team's 13 points in the period, hitting all four shots from the field. Union shot 44.8 percent (13 of 29) in the opening half and kept RPI to 22.9 percent (8 of 35) shooting from the field and a 2-of-12 effort from long range.
 
The Garnet Chargers shot over 53.0 percent again in the third period, hitting 8-of-15 shots and doubling up RPI by an 18-9 margin to put the game away early. Ardito and Ceseretti scored a team-leading five points apiece, and sophomore Aiko Bastiaens added a pair of buckets late in the frame to further extend the lead.
 
Ceseretti started the fourth period with a three to give Union its biggest lead of the game at 54-27 and Union cruised the rest of the way, with first-year Ryanne Gulbin matching her season high with five points and junior Ally Burke adding a basket in the final frame.
 
Despite a 4-of-14 effort in the fourth, Union finished the afternoon shooting 43.1 percent (25 of 58) from the field and 46.7 percent (7 of 15) from beyond the arc. The Garnet Chargers also held firm defensively for the full 40 minutes, as RPI shot just 16 of 64 from the field and 13.6 percent (3 of 22) from beyond the arc.

The Garnet Chargers will return to the court on Friday, when the team kicks off the final home weekend of the regular season against Skidmore College beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.