BROCKPORT, N.Y. (Dec. 2, 2014) – Roberts Wesleyan started the defense of their Wendy's College Classic title with a 68-56 win over RIT this evening.

With the win, the No. 2 Redhawks advance to the semifinals this Thursday where they will face No. 3 Geneseo. Their previous meeting came in the final last year with Roberts Wesleyan edging the Knights, 44-41.

After shooting out to a commanding 19-6 lead, RIT clawed their way back to a one-point deficit when Merissa Maiorano made a free-throw to make it a 24-23 Roberts Wesleyan lead with 3:10 remaining in the first half.  

The former Roberts Wesleyan player would lead the Tigers with 12 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort.

After halftime, the Redhawks managed to distance themselves the rest of the way with dominating play underneath the basket as they scored a total of 30 points in the paint while adding 13 more points in the form of second chance opportunities.

Roberts Wesleyan also took advantage of RIT's 17 turnovers by scoring 25 points off of the Tigers' miscues.

Leading the Redhawks was forward Samantha Courtney, who totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, four assists, and one steal. The junior was efficient from the field, hitting 7 of 10 from the field while hitting 2 of 4 at the free-throw line.

Both Brooke Fields and Lucy Covley added 10 points for the Redhawks.

The win puts Roberts Wesleyan at 2-1 as they prepare to face Geneseo at 8:00 pm in two days inside Clark Gymnasium on the campus of RIT.