Box Score WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—KellyAnn Rooney intercepted a lazy Eph pass and quickly began dribbling up court. As she got inside the three-point line, Rooney changed directions and crossed up her lone defender, Oge Uwanaka.
It didn't matter. Uwanaka recovered for a thunderous block that drew the largest lead of the night and nipped a momentum swing in the bud.
It was just that kind of night for the Ephs (11-2, 2-1 NESCAC), who chalked up their second consecutive victory by a 68-50 count over Little Three combatant Wesleyan, which fell to 8-5 (1-2 NESCAC).
When these teams met a month ago at Wesleyan in non-conference action, the Ephs sprinted out to an 11-0 lead that left them well on their way to an easy 59-39 victory. On Friday, it took them only 33 seconds to get nearly halfway back to their searing start of a month ago, courtesy of a great pass from Danny Rainer to an unmarked Claire Baecher off a great opening sequence for the Ephs in which the ball scarcely touched the floor, followed by a three from a similarly wide-open Ellen Cook via a smart dish from Jennie Harding, who had begun to drive before she noticed Cook and changed course.
This time, however, the Cardinals quickly fought back. Kendra Harris got them on the board with a simple and uncontested layup after Jess Cherenza managed to lob a short pass over Baecher's head. Just over a minute later, fresh-off-the-bench Miller Hartsoe made it a one-point game with a jumper from just inside the top of the key. The two teams then traded free throws, leaving the score at 7-6 with a little more than four minutes elapsed.
It was an auspicious start for the Cardinals. But it wouldn't last.
Instead, the Ephs made the final 16 minutes of the half firmly their own, outscoring the Cardinals by a remarkable 32-10 margin over that span, a spurt that impressed Coach Pat Manning for what it represented.
"We knew that the Wesleyan game first semester was the best we played all semester…our energy was raised, our intensity was raised. We talked a lot about that," said Manning on trying to avoid an early letdown. "We were prepared for them to do some adjustments, which they did, they threw some zone out there. But we were really happy with our execution. I thought the pace in the first half especially was great. The stuff that we did well the first time around I feel we did well again."
Once again, super-sub Grace Rehnquist kickstarted the Eph offense with a trio of three-pointers that touched off an early downtown barrage for Williams. Her first two makes came from well behind the arc, including a 25-foot laser that left the Ephs with a 22-9 with 11:21 remaining, part of a 21-1 run that spanned about eight minutes saw contributions from all quarters for Williams. It mattered little whether it was Cook with a three off a great feed from Rainer down low, Kellie Macdonald hesitating for just an instant before driving along the baseline for another pair or Baecher delivering an authoritative block on Cherkira Lashley; the Ephs simply appeared capable of no wrong for much of the half.
"We have five scorers on the court a lot [of the time], and we need to find the open player. I think that's a real strength of ours," said Manning.
Eventually, Lashley gathered in a rebound and found Jess Cherenza unmarked under the basket to end the run and begin a sequence of basket-trading that would characterize much of the remainder of the game, the damage had been done and the Ephs led by a 31-11 count with less than seven minutes left in the half.
By halftime, the margin had crept up to 23, but the Cardinals remained determined to mount a comeback and opened the second half with a renewed intensity level. Dreisen Heath, who tied for the team lead in scoring on the night, banked six of her eight points in the half's opening minutes, including a coast-to-coast transition off a steal that brought the Cardinals to within 19 to begin the final period.
However, the Ephs quickly turned the tide in their favor thanks to some crisp passing from Rainer, who found Rehnquist in stride on her way to the basket for a lay-in and then swung a feed to Harding for yet another three-pointer seconds later. Not to be outdone, Jen Borderud got in on the act with a drive-and-dish of her own to Cook, who swished the Ephs' eight three of the night for a 49-22 advantage. The Eph advantage would ultimately max out at 28 when Katie Litman finished the play for the Ephs after a pair of misses under the basket to make it 51-23.
With the outcome all but decided, the game's subplots came to the fore as the clock wound down. Hard fouls, representative of the long-standing rivalry that the two teams maintain, on both sides alternately drew the ire of each coach. However, Manning contended that the game's chippy nature merely came with the territory.
"NESCAC games get like that sometimes. You just have to play your game, though. We just said 'keep your cool, play our game,'" said Manning when asked what she had done to keep her squad focused. "We went to a zone to try to take some of the drives away. I give our kids a lot of credit. They just hung tough and just kept playing."
On a lighter note, the second half also saw the occasional matchup of sisters Stephanie and Jackie Browne from Voorhees, NJ. Although Stephanie got the better of the showdown with five points to her sister's single made free throw, the two embraced as soon as the final horn sounded before meeting a sizable contingent of family after the game.
Both teams will continue their NESCAC campaigns with 4:00 p.m. ET tipoffs tomorrow afternoon. The Ephs remain at home to face Connecticut College while the Cardinals head to Middlebury to take on the Panthers.
