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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Defense wins games, plain and
simple. Tonight
Williams (1-1) lost to Middlebury (2-2) because of their lack of
consistent pressure on the ball. To the
Panthers' credit, they capitalized on the opportunities they
were given, but the Ephs shot a solid 43.3% from the floor,
surpassing Middlebury's field-goal percentage by nearly seven
(36.1%). Ultimately, Williams' failure to
play on both sides of the ball cost them the win as their
conference foe secured an 86-75 victory.
In the first half, Middlebury led by as many
as ten points. Behind
40-30 at the 4:30 mark, Williams mounted a small 12-6 run to narrow
the lead to just four at the half. The Ephs were
lucky to escape with a 46-42 deficit to overcome, as the Panthers
were shooting lights out at 48.4% from the
floor.
Most telling of the play in the first stanza
was Middlebury's free thr
ow percentage.
Williams was very undisciplined, particularly in the paint, and had
already committed ten fouls with four minutes to play in the
half. The Panthers
reached the foul line fourteen times in the first twenty minutes,
compared to three by the Ephs, going 13-of-14 to shoot a blistering
92.9% from the charity stripe.
Chessie Jackson scored two easy lay ups to
open the second half, finally tying the score at
46-46. The two teams continued to trade baskets
for nearly fifteen minutes, neither team able to pull ahead by
much. Williams
finally reclaimed the lead off a Lisa Jaris drive inside at the
7:32 mark at 65-63.
Instead of surging into the final five minutes of play, the Ephs
seemed to backtrack and saw Middlebury slowly climb ahead.
Leading by four at 71-67, Panthers point guard
Emily Johnson scored a timely three to up her squad's lead to
seven. Ephs head
coach Pat Manning called a timeout to regroup, but the team came
out of the break flat. With 3:19 on the clock,
Middlebury reached the bonus and began to head to the free throw
line to ice the game.
Their stellar shooting from the line continued
in the second half, as the team shot 12-of-16, for a final game
percentage of 83.3% from the line. The Panthers
outscored Williams from the foul line, 25-6.
Middlebury's offensive production in free throws made up for
a slightly poorer shooting effort from the floor.
“Our defense was so inconsistent
tonight,” said Manning. “We
didn't get stops, and even when we were making a comeback at
the end of the first half, we kept exchanging baskets and you just
can't do that and win the game. There was
just no solid defensive presence…just a defensive meltdown
to give up that many points.”
Johnson led all scorers with 17
points. Teammates Kaitlyn Fallon and Alana Wall
followed with 16 points apiece. Fallon recorded
a double-double with 12 rebounds. Ashley Barron
also contributed 15 points.
Chessie Jackson paced the Ephs with 16
points. Jill
Greenberg and Mika Peterman tallied 14 and 13 points respectively,
while Jessica Harris chipped in with a double-double, recording 11
points and rebounds.
Springfield defeated Fitchburg State in the
first game of the Williams Tip-Off Classic, and will face off
against Middlebury in the championship game at
1:00. The Ephs will take on Fitchburg State at
3:00 for the consolation match up.
Springfield wins first game of Tip-Off
Classic; defeats Fitchburg State, 79-65
WILLIAMSTOWN,
MA. - Springfield College (2-1) outlasted a late second half surge
by Fitchburg College (1-2) to notch a 79-65 win in the first game
of the Williams Tip-Off Classic in Chandler Gymnasium on the
Williams College campus.
amp;nbsp; The Pride built a sizeable advantage by halftime,
leading 42-26 at the break. Springfield continued thei
r dominance in the second half, and amassed a thirty-point lead by
the 12-minute mark of the second half.
Fitchburg, who struggled in the first shooting only 32.4% from
the floor, began to find their shooting stroke in the final minutes
of play. With 2:05 on the clock, the Falcons had cut the lead
in half, trailing by fifteen at 77-62. Springfield had time
on their side, and Fitchburg could not overcome the early hole they
made for themselves.
Springfield's balanced offensive attack was a key to victory, as
all five starters scored in double-digits. Corey Finch
recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Kelly Murphy led all scorers with 17 points. Lauren O'Connor
was not far behind with a 15-point effort on the night, while the
two remaining starters, Kate LaBelle and Rachelle Walker tallied 12
and 11 points respectively.
Fitchburg received good efforts off the bench, as Jamie
Bertilson and Rebecca Goreham scored 13 points apiece. Keri
Averill contributed 8 points.
The Pride will face Middlebury at 1 p.m. Sunday.
