GENEVA, NY – Five players reached double-figures in points, including a career-high 20 points for junior guard Ryan DeOrio, as the Vassar College women's basketball team earned a 78-67 win at William Smith College on Friday evening. The victory moves the Brewers to 9-4 overall and a key 5-1 in Liberty League play. The Herons slip to 8-5 on the season and are now 4-2 in conference play.

A tight back-and-forth contest took a turn in the favor of the Brewers at 3:46 of the second quarter as a jumper from freshman guard Eliza Srinivasan opened a 31-21 advantage for the visitors. The Herons countered, but a three-pointer from junior guard Ryan DeOrio pushed it to a 34-23 edge seconds later.

Senior captain and guard Isa Peczuh had a pair of free throws fall before VC gained the rebound with Peczuh nailing a trey back at the other end for a 39-23 lead at 2:10. William Smith went on a 5-0 run to close out the second stanza, including a three-pointer off the hands of sophomore guard Stella Davis, closing the gap to 40-30 at halftime.

Out of the break, Peczuh continued to shine, laying down another three pointer, followed by a jumper from senior captain and center Sophie Nick to turn it into a 45-32 contest.

Sophomore forward Olivia Parisi was able to land a jumper at 6:01 for the Herons, but Nick landed a three at the other end off a feed from DeOrio and the Vassar defense continued to hold William Smith at bay as the home team was unable to score again until the 3:38 mark off another bucket from Parisi.

Freshman guard Emily Tincher countered the bucket with her second three-pointer of the frame to make it a 16-point edge (54-38) with 3:24 to play in the third quarter. Parisi continued to keep the Herons in the game, completing a three-point play after a jumper and a free throw, for a 54-43 score with 1:29 to go in the frame.

Despite the momentum for the home team, the Brewers continued to press as Peczuh nailed another three-pointer – her 16th point of the game – to make it a 57-43 margin with just under a minute to play.

Entering the final quarter of the game, the Herons took advantage of another Vassar foul as David completed a three-point play for William Smith to make it a 57-47 contest at the 9:41 mark. The Brewers continued to capitalize in the offensive end, going on a 7-0 run behind back-to-back jumpers from Tincher and a critical three by DeOrio at 7:53 to open a 64-47 advantage for Vassar.

Junior guard Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou landed a three of her own to close the gap to 68-52, but Vassar had the answer once again as DeOrio drained a three for her 19th point of the contest at 5:55 to push the advantage to 71-52.

The two teams traded baskets over the final two minutes of the contest, including the 24th point of the game by Parisi, but the Brewers proved too strong down the stretch for the victory.

DeOrio's 20 points not only led the team, but were also a career-high, surpassing her all-time mark of 18 which she had posted in January of 2019 against Clarkson. In addition to her points – which including 5-of-8 shooting from three point range, she also recorded a game-best five assists with three rebounds. Peczuh poured in 18 points with four rebounds, while Nick, Tincher and senior captain Jackie Cenan all added 10 points each. Nick led the way with seven rebounds for the Brewers.

For the Herons, Parisi led all scorers with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds to go along with an assist and a block. Dimitrakopoulou added 17 points and eight rebounds, while David dropped in nine points with six boards and two assists.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Vassar heads to Union, while the Herons host RPI. Tip-off for both contests is 2pm.