LANCASTER, Pa. -- Saturday's opening game of the Terry Greene Memorial Tournament at Franklin & Marshall College between William Smith and the Elizabethtown College women's basketball team came down to the very final shot as the Herons escaped with a 79-78 win over the Blue Jays. Lydia Lawson, Veronica Christ, and Mikayla Ruth each finished with 20-plus points for E-town in the loss.

Christ gave Elizabethtown (2-1) its first lead of the game after sinking a three. After the Herons responded with a trey of their own, Lawson and Christ helped the Blue Jays hop back in front. Christ grabbed one of her team-high 10 rebounds and sent her senior guard out in transition. Lawson pulled up at the right elbow and swished home the fastbreak jumper.

On the following possession for William Smith (1-1), Angie Hawkins grabbed a defensive board, found her outlet on the right wing in Lawson, who dribbled at the only defender back on the play. The defender committed and Lawson slipped a behind-the-back pass to Christ, who connected on the easy bucket to make it 9-5 for E-town.

The teams traded the lead three times over the course of the remainder of the first quarter. Stella Davis hit a pair of three's for WSC and the Herons led after one, 21-16.

Clare Marchese assisted on a pair of three pointers for Elizabethtown early in the second quarter as the Jays worked their way back in front by a point after Christ's make from beyond the arc. After the Herons went back in front, Jillian Nagy got inside for the basket and E-town was ahead once again.

William Smith got the lead back with 3:40 left in the half, but couldn't shake the Jays. Down three, Lawson bounced a pass down into the post to Chris, who had posted up on her defender. With Ruth standing out top, her defender collapsed toward Chris, who threw it out to the senior and she drained another three to tie the game at 33-33. Then, coming off Rachel Christman's steal, Lawson returned the lead to Elizabethtown with 14 seconds left before halftime. The Blue Jays led 35-33 at the break.

The Herons used a number of shots from behind the arc to get back in front of Elizabethtown in the third quarter. After Christ's three with 7:40 on the clock in the third, William Smith outscored E-town 23-11 the rest of the quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.

The trio of Lawson, Ruth, and Christ helped the Blue Jays get close after the Herons built up as much as a nine-point lead. The three combined for the first eight points of the fourth for E-town and after Ruth's pair at the foul line, it was down to a three-point lead for William Smith, 64-61.

Down five, the Elizabethtown defense came up with one of its 15 turnovers and at the other end, Lawson finished off the fastbreak opportunity. On the next possession, an offensive foul was drawn by the Jays and Ruth capped off that sequence with another three to tie the game at 67-67.

The two teams traded long distance shots as Lauren DeVaney drained one for the Herons before Lawson responded with one for E-town.

Out of a timeout late in the game and down by three, Lawson threaded a pass into the path of Christ, who went backdoor on her defender and made her layup to make it 75-74.

After Ruth's layup brought Elizabethtown within a point, the Blue Jays held William Smith and got the ball back with less than 15 seconds remaining. Ruth drew a foul down low and hit both ensuing free throws to bump the Jays in front, 78-77.

The Herons used a timeout to advance the ball, and on their possession, Annaliese Schreder's three hit the front of the rim, but was within reach for DeVaney, who grabbed it and put it in with less than a second to go. Elizabethtown called timeout for a play of their own to try and win it.

The Blue Jays got the ball in and the shot they wanted, but the ball bounced in and out of the rim as time expired and William Smith got away with the one-point win.

Lawson led the way with a team-high 22 points. Christ and Ruth each added 21. Christ finished with a double-double after recording the 10 rebounds.

Elizabethtown will play in tomorrow's consolation game at 1 p.m.