CU Women's Basketball Preview - vs. William Smith/RIT (1/24-25)

By: January 22, 2020

Addie Friedlander

Women's Basketball | 1/22/2020 11:55:00 AM

With two wins in conference over the last four games, the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team looks to edge its way up the league standings this weekend when the squad takes on William Smith and RIT at Alumni Gymnasium.

Live Stats/Live Video

The Series vs. William Smith: Clarkson has enjoyed some success against the Herons over the last decade, but William Smith still owns a 50-17 edge in the all-time matchup. The Herons have won four straight games against the Knights, but two of those contests have required overtime.

The Series vs. RIT: The Tigers emerged as a top contender for the conference title a few years ago and met the Knights for the conference title game back in 2015-16, a game in which Clarkson came away with a narrow victory. Since that game, RIT has won six of seven, including six straight by double figures.

Key Stats for Clarkson (6-7, 2-5 Liberty League): The Knights saw two different players score 20 points or more over the weekend as freshman Mariah Benavides tossed in a career-high 21 points in a win against Skidmore and junior Emma Buonanno produced her first career 20-point game with 22 against Ithaca, including 13 points in the fourth quarter. Each player upped their season average to nearly double digits, trailing only Hannah Earl (10.9 ppg) among qualified players. Buonanno is averaging 11.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in conference contests and leads the Liberty League in steals per game overall at 3.0 spg.

Key Stats for William Smith (8-6, 4-3 Liberty League): The Herons rank first in a handful of categories in the Liberty League, including offensive rebounds per game (17.5 orpg), rebound margin (+9.0 rpg) and 3-point field goals made (7.5 mpg). Olivia Parisi is averaging a double-double in conference play with 16.9 points and 10.3 boards per game and she ranks in the top four in each category overall (16.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg) in the Liberty League. Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg, and she is averaging 15.7 points per contest over her last three games after getting shutout against Ithaca. Lauren DeVaney (11.7 ppg) and Stella Davis (11.4 ppg) are also in double figures, with the former ranking sixth in the conference in rebounding (8.9 rpg).

Key Stats for RIT (6-8, 4-3 Liberty League): The Tigers have a leading contender for conference rookie of the year in Kaleesha Joseph, who is shooting 56.0% from the floor and averaging 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Joseph has been particularly impressive of late, averaging 19.3 points per game over her last three and shooting 27-for-38 (71.1%) over that stretch. Brooke Stanley averages 18.6 ppg in league play and ranks second in the conference overall at 16.8 ppg, producing more than 20 points per contest in the last three outings. Sabrina Wolfe ranks second in the league in free throw percentage and both she and Alyssa Juergens score in double figures while also providing more than six rebounds per contest apiece.

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Players Mentioned

#30 Emma Buonanno: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#20 Hannah Earl: G/F; 5' 8"; Junior

#3 Mariah Benavides: G; 5' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#30 Emma Buonanno
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#20 Hannah Earl
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G/F

#3 Mariah Benavides
: 5' 1"; Freshman
: G

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#30 Emma Buonanno

#20 Hannah Earl

#3 Mariah Benavides

Players Mentioned

#30 Emma Buonanno

#20 Hannah Earl

#3 Mariah Benavides