Box Score
Photo
Gallery
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- The Williams women's basketball team (9-3)
capped off a dominant showing of play on the court this weekend
with another convincing victory over Babson College (3-7).
With the 72-49 win, the host Ephs squad was named the champion of
the Williams Winter Classic for the third straight year and the
sixth time in seven years, and outscored both their opponents
157-84.
Having rebounded from a sloppy first half against Drew yesterday
to put together a 47 point second frame, Babson proved their
offensive potential to be dangerous. The
game remained tight for the first ten minutes of play before
Williams began to pull away, and the three-pointer was the weapon
of choice. Chessie Jackson, Mika Peterman, and Niki Savageau
were spot on from downtown to contribute to a 11-2 run to go ahead
25-13 at the 10:14 mark. Williams finished the half shooting
62.5 percent from behind the arc.
Jackson finished the game with 13 points, while Peterman added a
game-high 14 points. The Ephs' point guard finished shooting
3-of-5 from three-point range. Savageau was named the
Tournament MVP, and scored 11 points and grabbed 6
boards.
While Williams used the three-pointer to create their run,
Babson's presence on the glass allowed the Beavers to make a game
of it in the first half. Out rebounding the Ephs 28-22 in the
first half, Babson narrowed Williams' lead significantly. A
defensive rebound that led to a fast break lay up saw Babson just
three behind the lead, 29-26, with four minutes to play in the
first period.
Despite Babson's admirable rebounding efforts, a 28.6 shooting
percentage from the floor did not help their hopes of bypassing the
Ephs. It took only those four minutes for the Ephs to rebuild
and match their largest lead of the night. The home team
headed into the locker room ahead 38-26.
"Babson plays good defense, and rebounds very aggressively," said
Williams head coach Pat Manning. "Those were our two main
areas of focus, and in the first half their rebounding advantage
hurt us."
Williams became more aggressive in the paint after the break, and
finished the game ahead of Babson in rebounds by seven,
50-43. The Ephs' defense was stifling, and the team kept the
Beavers to just three points in the opening ten minutes of the
second period. Jessica Harris came off the bench, and went on
a shooting rampage. Harris scored four consecutive buckets
and four rebounds, finishing the game with 12 points and 6 boards.
Taylor Shea was named to the All-Tournament team for
Williams. She was joined by Babson co-captains Nicole McManus
and Caitlin Boulier. McManus notched a double-double with 10
points and 13 rebounds, while Boulier finished the game with 7
points.
In the consolation match up between Drew University and Gordon
College, Drew took the victory with a tight 50-45 result. The
Ranger's Allison Hartnett and the Fighting Scots' Brianne Records
were also named to the All-Tournament team.
Williams return to action at archrival Amherst on January 12 at
2:00 p.m.
Drew defeats Gordon in consolation game, 50-45
Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- Drew University (3-6) and Gordon College (1-9)
faced off in the consolation game of the Williams Winter Classic
with the Drew Rangers taking a 50-45 win for third place.
Drew had lost to Babson College yesterday, 68-53, while Gordon fell
to host and eventual champion Williams, 85-35.
Both teams had difficulty creating offensive momentum, and midway
into the first period the score remained locked at 16-7 for at
least a five minute stretch. Drew finally broke the scoring
drought with a three pointer to go ahead 20-7 with 4:26 to
play. Gordon began to attack the basket more
decisively.
With the first half clock winding down, the Fighting Scots' Sara
Schwanke went one-on-one against a Drew defenseman. She
narrowly missed a shot that would have left her squad within two
points of knotting the score. Nevertheless, Gordon saw
themselves behind by only four, 24-20, at the break. Shooting
9-of-9 from the charity stripe aided their cause as well.
Gordon would eventually tie the game in the second half near the
fifteen minute mark, and the game remained a close affair until the
last few minutes. Drew built a slight eight point lead with
one minute to play. Gordon would never get closer then five
points to Drew after that falling 50-45.
Drew's Alison Hartnett lead the game with 14 points, and was named
to the All-Tournament squad. Jessica Reid chipped in 11
points and 6 rebounds for Drew.
Brianne Records rounded out the All-Tournament selections,
contributing 10 points. Teammate Erin Thames had a good game
as well, scoring 8 points and grabbing 11 boards.
