WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – After posting a
successful 3-1 record over the last four games to reach within one
game of .500, Williams women's basketball (5-7) faced another
setback, falling to Keene State (9-2), 55-45. Everything that the Ephs did
well against a formidable Bates opponent on Saturday, the team
failed to carry over to today's contest.
“We could not buy a basket, just nothing
fell for us,” commented Ephs head coach Pat Manning. “We had no sort of
inside presence, and just really didn't get anything moving
on offense. We let it
frustrate us and carried over to the defensive end. There was no consistency on
defense.”
Williams played from behind for the first ten
minutes of play before mounting a 13-0 run, and keeping the Owls
scoreless for five minutes in the later stages of the first
period. Jess Harris
made a layup in the final seconds to solidify a five-point
advantage at the break, 25-20.
Mika Peterman, recently named NESCAC Player of
the Week, scored nearly half of Williams' first half point
total (12 points) on a 5-of-10 shooting effort from the floor. She finished with a
game-high 21 points.
The Ephs point guard, and Taylor Shea, made up the majority of the
Ephs offense. Shea,
returning from a bout with mono, came off the bench to score 10
points. While Jess
Harris added 8 points, the rest of the team struggled to find the
net.
Keene State slowly chipped away at the Ephs
lead, and the contest remained close until the Ephs defense waned
in the final minutes, allowing the Owls to build a slight
lead. Ahead by five
points at the one-minute mark, the game would be won at the free
throw, Keene State iced the game with a solid effort from the line,
going 9-of-11 in the second half.
Nicole Simmler and Kristin Degou led the Owls
attack with 18 points apiece. Simmler added 11 rebounds for a
double-double.
Williams will face off against archrival
Amherst this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
