Box
Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Sophomore Taylor Shea scored 17 of her
team-high 24 points in the second half Saturday, rallying Williams
College past Middlebury, 79-68, at the Chandler Gymnasium.
The Ephs trailed Middlebury by as many as 14 points in the first
half before cutting that deficit to 10 by the break. A 13-0 run to
start the second half gave them a lead and Shea took over down the
stretch to help Williams improve to 8-12 overall, 3-2 in the
NESCAC. The Panthers, who were led by senior Emily Johnson's
game-high 31 points, fell to 7-13 overall, 1-4 in the conference.
Williams is at Bowdoin Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Both Shea (24 points, 12 rebounds) and sophomore Jess Harris (16
points, 16 rebounds) posted double-doubles for Williams. Chessie
Jackson added 13 points, while first-year point guard Jill
Greenberg dished off 10 assists.
Aside from Johnson's 31 points on 12 of 22 shooting, Middlebury
received double-figure scoring with 14 points from Ashley Barron
and 11 from Lauren Sanchez.
Following the Ephs big run to start the second half, the
Panthers responded with a drive to the hoop by Barron, a
three-pointer off the right wing from Johnson and, following a
turnover, a transition lay-up by Johnson for a 54-50 lead.
A steal by Shea led to her coast-to-coast layup that regained
the lead for Williams at 56-54 with 14:02 remaining, and Shea's
12-foot baseline jumper moments later upped that lead to four.
Middlebury rallied again to tie the game at 60 on a baseline
floater from Barron, but the Ephs took the lead for good on a free
throw from Ana Rodriguez-Villa (nine points) with 10:50 to go.
Jackson connected on a key trey from the top of the key for a 64-60
lead that sparked a 10-0 run for the Ephs.
Williams defensive effort in the second half made the
difference. The Ephs held Middlebury to just 8 of 28 from the floor
(28.8 percent) and outrebound their opponents, 26-20. Shea switched
to Barron and held her to four points over the final 20 minutes.
Johnson hit 7 of 11 shots in the first half, 4 of 6 from beyond
the arc, to help the Panthers build a 10-point lead by halftime.
Harris had 10 points and nine boards to keep the Ephs close.
