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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA — Chessie Jackson led
all scorers with 18 points Tuesday night, leading the Williams
College women's basketball team to a 66-47 victory over
visiting Springfield.
The win was the second in a row for the Ephs (2-1) who are off
for the Thanksgiving break but return to action Sunday across town
in North Adams against MCLA. Tip-off is 4 p.m. The Pride, who were
led by Meghan Biondolillo and her 13 points, fell to 1-3.
Williams built a 29-23 lead by the half thanks in part to a
26-17 edge on the glass and seven points off the bench from
first-year Claire Baecher. But Springfield came out of the locker
room playing tenacious defense and tied the game at 29 on a lay-up
by Kelly Slattery, a couple off foul shots by Kelly Murphy and an
offensive putback by Murphy off a Slattery miss that tied the score
with 17:04 remaining.
As fast as Springfield tied the game, the Ephs went on an 11-0
run to put some distance between the teams. A pull-up jumper by Eph
point guard Jill Greenberg regained the lead for the Ephs at 31-29
and sparked the run.
After a rebound by Jackson off a Biondolillo misfire, Williams
received a fortunate bounce in the paint as Greenberg found a loose
ball on the block and sank a short jumper for a four-point lead. A
Kelsey Ham steal then led to a Taylor Shea putback.
Williams upped its defensive intensity, keeping the Pride to one
shot on five consecutive possessions, and gradually upped its lead
to 11 when a Shea lay-up made it 40-29 with 14:32 left.
"It seemed like we had a lull on both ends of the floor early in
the second half, but when we got our transition game going again,
things really clicked," Ephs head coach Pat Manning said. "I
thought Danny (Rainer) was a spark off our bench, and Kelsey (Ham)
and Jennie (Harding) played really good defense for us."
The Williams lead never dipped below nine from that point
forward.
Jackson scored 12 of her 18 points over the final 20 minutes on
5 of 9 shooting from the floor. She also had eight rebounds.
The Ephs effort on the glass was noticeable, as they finished
plus-21 (54-33). Sophomore Lisa Jaris registered a double-double
with 11 points and 10 boards. Shea finished with a team-high 12
rebounds.
"Springfield traditionally is a very good rebounding team,"
Manning said. "Tonight we made a conscious effort to put forth a
consistent effort on the boards. I thought Taylor, Chessie and Lisa
did an outstanding job, and Claire (Baecher) came off the bench and
altered some of their shots which were were able to get rebounds
off of. Overall, it was just a great team effort."
For Springfield, Amelia Sapowsky notched a team-high seven
rebounds. Murphy scored 11 points.
