Box Score /
Liberty League Standings
CLINTON, N.Y. - The Rensselaer women's basketball team got a game-high 18 points from
Whitney Coleman and the first place Engineers defeated Hamilton, 63-54, for their fifth straight win. RPI, which has now won eight of its last nine contests, improves to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in the league. The Continentals fall to 8-6 and 1-3.
Rensselaer fell behind early in the game, trailing by as many as five points, before taking its first lead of the contest, 21-19, on a three-point basket by junior
Allison Connor (Hudson, NY/Hudson) with 3:18 left in the first half. The hoop started an 8-0 run for the visitors, who went on to lead by six points, 28-22, at halftime.
RPI maintained its lead throughout the second half, building it to as many as 10 points (48-38) on a basket by
Hillary McKinley (Quinebaug, CT/Tourtellotte Memorial) just past the midway point of the frame. A pair of free throws by Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda) gave the Engineers a 12-point lead less than two minutes later. Hamilton would get no closer than six points from that point on and RPI remained in first place in the league.
Coleman, a graduate student, made 5 of 10 shots from the floor and 7 of 10 from the free throw line to pace RPI. She also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Connor finished with 13 points, including three three-pointers, while McKinley had seven points and five boards. The Engineers finished with a huge advantage at the free-throw line as they made 20 shots while Hamilton was just 3 of 6 at the stripe.
Hamilton was led by Eliza Howe (Westport, CT/Staples), who had 11 points with five rebounds. The Continentals are now 21-25 all-time against Rensselaer.