Lisa Olszewski '11 scored 15 points and blocked four shots to lead Hamilton College to a 53-48 win against Rensselaer in a Liberty League women's basketball game at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Feb. 19.
The Continentals (9-14 overall, 3-11 Liberty) shot 48.7 percent from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and went 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) at the free-throw line. Hamilton's season is complete.
Madie Harlem '13 chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Continentals. Eliza Howe '13 added 13 points, six boards and three steals. Blue Sanders '13 led all players with five assists.
Rensselaer (10-15, 6-8) was paced by Sarah Wetmore '12, who went 9-for-10 at the line and finished with 13 points. Wetmore added six rebounds. Linda Larsen '11 had nine points and three steals, Allison Connor '11 drained three 3-pointers and finished with nine points, and Hillary McKinley '12 posted eight points and six boards off the bench. The Engineers finished the season with a three-game losing streak.
Hamilton jumped out to an early 9-0 lead as Rensselaer missed its first 13 shots from the field. Wetmore finally ended the drought with a layup with 12:10 left in the half that cut the Engineers' deficit to 9-4. The Continentals eventually took their largest lead of the game at 13 points with 2:21 remaining when two free throws by Claire Hunsinger '13 made the score 26-13. Rensselaer finished the half on a 7-2 run to close the gap to 28-20 at the break.
The Engineers roared back into the game with a 14-3 run to start the second half. A layup by McKinley put Rensselaer in front 32-31, and another layup by Larsen made it a three-point game with 12:39 left. A layup by Olszewski and a 3-point play by Dani Feigin '14 put Hamilton back in front 36-34. Larsen made two free throws to forge the final tie at 36-36.
A 3-pointer by Howe with 10:21 remaining gave the Continentals the lead for good at 39-36. Hamilton's advantage never grew larger than six points the rest of the way, and after a 3-pointer by Connor, the Engineers trailed by one point at 49-48 with 1:34 left. The Continentals held off Rensselaer as both Sanders and Howe went 2-for-2 at the line in the final 24 seconds. The Engineers had two missed shots and a turnover down the stretch.
Rensselaer held a 33-31 rebounding edge, including 13 on the offensive glass, and helped force 24 Hamilton turnovers. However, the Engineers shot just 24.5 percent from the floor. Rensselaer was 4 of 20 from beyond the arc, but went 18-for-22 (82 percent) at the line. The Engineers, who edged the Continentals 47-44 at home on Jan. 21, still hold an advantage in the all-time series, 27-22.
