by Rachel Rosten
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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. - Williams head coach Pat
Manning recorded her 300th victory at the helm of the women's
basketball program as her Ephs squad powered past Keene State,
72-56, in front of a home crowd at Chandler Gymnasium. Manning
remains the all-time leader in wins at Williams, and in 18 seasons
has compiled a 300-129 record (.699 winning percentage).
When asked about her milestone victory, Manning could only rave
about the quality of this year's team and the pleasure that she
receives from being able to coach these players.
"I am really happy with our team, " said Manning. "We are a
more mature team than you would think, and we have great
leadership. Our seniors and Mika [Peterman] are all such
great leaders and help teach the young players how to compete at
this level…This is just such a fun team, and it is a joy to
watch."
The Ephs have won their fourth consecutive game, upping their
overall record to 5-2 after beginning the season off slowly with a
1-2 start. Williams is currently in the midst of a tough
eight-day stretch in which the squad will play five games.
Having already won three of the five, the Ephs hope to continue
with the momentum they have now.
"Five games in eight days is a big challenge, " continued
Manning. "I saw Keene State play this past Saturday, and they
are a solid team with great defense. This game was definitely
our biggest challenge yet, and we came to play. I could tell
in our practice yesterday that our approach mentally was great, and
that we were up for the challenge."
The first half remained a tight affair at the start. Keene
State took a slight edge with five minutes left before Williams
mounted a rally to nab a six-point lead heading into the locker
room. The Owls led 24-19 fourteen minutes into play.
Williams had been losing the battle on the boards and on the inside
game before they shifted from man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone,
forcing Keene to take more shots from outside the arc. Down
30-29 the Ephs began a 9-2 run capped off by a baseline jumper by
Chessie Jackson with three seconds left to head into the second
half leading 38-32.
While the first half was marked by mini-runs and trading baskets,
the second half was a whole other ball game as Williams took
control. Peterman certainly knows how to get her team going,
as she dropped a three on the opening possession of the second
period for the second straight game. The bucket gave the Ephs
a nine point lead, and they never looked back.
The zone continued to be a successful defensive strategy for the
Ephs, as Keene State's shooting percentage dropped from 44.4
percent in the first half to 20.7 percent in the second half.
Senior Niki Savageau's offensive play brought the Eph lead to
double digits. With 12:18 to play, Savageau (9 points, 11
assists) penetrated inside and was successful on a difficult lay up
to bring the score to 48-37. In the ensuing play, the Eph
point guard found Dominique de la Torre undefended under the
basket. The two plays by Savageau began a 9-0 run that
brought the Ephs their biggest lead of the night at 57-37 with
exactly ten minutes to play.
In the final minutes of play, Keene State upped the defensive
intensity with a strong full court press. Initially Williams
struggled to keep possession of the ball, and began to make
careless fouls, but eventually found success to hold onto a 72-56
victory.
Peterman, who leads the team with an average of 15.9 points per
game, remained consistent with her 15 points for the night.
Chessie Jackson added 16 points and 7 boards, while Taylor Shea
contributed 13 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman Jessica Harris
had a breakout game and recorded a double-double with 14 points and
10 points. Harris was instrumental on the boards during the
first half to get the Ephs going offensively.
"Niki [Savageau] did a great job running the show especially with
the type of defensive pressure she faced, " said Manning.
"Patty [Patricia Ludwig], Whitney [Livermore], and Jess [Harris]
all had big minutes. Jess definitely had a breakout
game. She had been playing tentative early on, and today was
great for her."
Nicole Simmler scored a game high 19 points for Keene State, and
grabbed 9 boards. Michelle Boudreau and Kristin Degou added 9
and 7 points respectively.
Williams will host Union on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
