ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Junior Morgan Schultz led four Garnet Chargers in double figures with 14 points as the Union College women's basketball team cruised past Bard College, 69-48, for the team's sixth straight victory and a program-record 14th conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon at Stevenson Athletic Center.
 
Union (18-5, 14-2 Liberty League) moved into fifth place on the program's single-season wins list and also surpassed the 2003-04 team for the most conference wins in a season in program history with the win. The Garnet Chargers also stay tied atop the Liberty League with Rochester Institute of Technology with just two games left in the regular season.
 
Schultz earned her first start of the season and responded with a career-high 14 points, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field to go with five rebounds. Senior Jelena Perovic and first-year Ryley Tate-Padian added 11 points and senior Grace Ardito chipped in 10 as part of a well-rounded effort, while senior Kate Peek dished out a game-high five assists and matched first-year Ryanne Gulbin for the game-high with six rebounds.
 
Bard had control of the game for a majority of the opening frame, getting the first three points and trailing for only one possession. The Raptors led by as many as six points with 2:22 to go in the period before Union closed on a 7-2 run – helped by five points from senior Grace Ceseretti – to get back within a point at 14-13 after 10 minutes.
 
After five straight points to start the second for Bard, Union responded with a 7-0 stretch to take back the lead at 20-19 after a layup by Ardito. Following a Bard basket, Tate-Padian gave the Garnet Chargers the lead back for good with a layup with 6:17 on the clock. Still leading by one with 2:33 to go, the visitors closed on a 6-0 run thanks to two points each from Schultz, Tate-Padian and sophomore Aiko Bastiaens to take a 35-28 lead into halftime.
 
Union held Bard off the scoreboard for the first 3:58 of the third period, scoring seven straight points to take a 42-28 advantage. The Raptors got back to within six with eight points in a row, but the pendulum swung back Union's way with a 10-2 run that helped the visitors to a 52-40 lead after three frames.
 
The Garnet Chargers finally put the way away by outscoring bard 17-8 in the fourth period. A three by Ardito bumped the lead up to 20 points for the first time with a three-pointer with 4:01 on the clock, and the lead grew to as many as 21 on two occasions after jumpers by first-year Allie Grove and junior Casey Weeren.
 
Union finished the afternoon shooting 42.4 percent (25 of 59) from the field and went a nearly perfect 12-of-13 from the charity stripe in the win, while also posting a 43-30 edge on the glass and a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Union will finish off the regular season with a weekend in the North Country, beginning on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Clarkson University.