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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – First-year Taylor Shea scored 13
second-half points Saturday to help the Williams College
women's basketball team rally from a 13-point first-half
deficit and send archrival Amherst to its first defeat of the
season, 64-59.
The Ephs (14-5, 3-1) knocked Amherst (17-1, 3-1) from the ranks
of the undefeated two weeks after suffering their first loss to
their rivals since 2001.
Williams trailed by 13 points twice in the first half and nine,
37-28, at halftime. But the Ephs turned it around in the second
half, especially on the defensive end, at one point holding the
visitors without a field goal for 7 minutes and 32 seconds.
"What I love about this team is they just keep playing, they
don't panic," Ephs head coach Pat Manning said. "It's almost like
we're getting used to coming from behind."
Trailing 46-37 with 12:20 remaining, Williams constructed a 16-3
run over that span by forcing the Jeffs into tough shots possession
after possession and getting a much improved effort on the glass.
Amherst shot just 20 percent (5 of 20) from the floor over the
final 20 minutes and was outrebounded, 19-15, after owning a 19-13
advantage on the glass in the first half. The Ephs were also able
to get to the foul line, and took advantage by going 18 for 24 in
the second half.
"The key was getting great help defense in the second half and
focusing more on our rebounding," Manning said. "But a big part of
that came from our offense. We were moving the ball better and
taking better shots, and that helped tighten up our transition
defense."
Shea scored 13 of her team-high 16 points while Jessica Harris
(15 points) and Mika Peterman (13 points) each scored nine points
in the second half. Back-to-back offensive rebounds by Shea set up
a Harris bucket that made it 46-39 Amherst with 11:15 left.
A Shea free throw with 8:44 to go made it 48-42. Williams senior
Dominique de la Torre than came up with a huge offensive rebound
and kicked it back out to Peterman, who drained a three-pointer
with 8:36 left to make it 48-45. A Harris free throw brought the
Ephs within two before first-year Chessie Jackson (11 points) hit
nothing but net on a three-point attempt from the top of the key.
That shot gave Williams its first lead at 49-48 with 7:08
remaining.
"I thought Taylor had an amazing game today, not only from the
free throw line, but defensively and rebounding as well," Manning
said. "We stepped it up at the foul line with Taylor, Mika and Jess
Harris — we hit some clutch shots today."
The two teams sized each other up over the game's initial
eight minutes, but Amherst strong defensive effort led to a 9-0 run
over a two-minute span. Pollock started the run with a three-ball
off the right elbow for a 16-13 lead and Stefanie Reiff put the
crowning touch to it by knifing between two Eph defenders down low
for an easy lay-up that made it 22-13 with 8:54 to go.
But the story of the first half was Amherst's first-year
center, Sarah Leyman, who went 5 for 5 from the floor and 2 for 2
from the line to account for 12 points while helping the visitors
go into halftime up, 37-28.
The Jeffs shot 44.8 percent (13 of 29) from the floor over the
first 20 minutes, and outrebounded the Ephs, 19-13. Amherst
stretched its lead to 13 twice, once on a trey from Ann-Claire
Roesch from the top of the key with 4:08 left.
