Box Score WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Junior Ellen Cook led a trio of Ephs in double-figure scoring Tuesday night and the Williams College women's basketball team held visiting Eastern Connecticut State to just 23.2 percent shooting from the floor in a 67-48 victory in front of 211 in the Chandler Gymnasium.
The win boosted the Ephs to 5-0 heading into Thanksgiving recess. They will play at MCLA Sunday at 4 p.m. The Warriors slipped to 3-2 on the young season.
"I'm thrilled with where we are at this point," Ephs head coach Pat Manning said. "We've played five games in 10 days and our young team has handled it so well. I'm really pleased with their ability to focus and stay in the moment."
Cook led all scorers with 16 points while sophomore Katie Litman posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and Kellie Macdonald added 11. Kristina Fors,am led Eastern with 16 points while Jill Ritrosky added her own double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Ephs owned the first 10 minutes of the contest and never trailed, buidling a 9-2 lead all on lay-ups created by their offense with Litman's four leading the way. A Forsman three made it an 11-7 game but Williams responded with a quick 7-0 run that Macdonald capped with a three-pointer that made it 18-7 with 11:35 left in the half.
The Ephs led by as much as 15 before a late Eastern Connecitcut run sliced that advantage to eight by the half when Jordyn Nappi drained a threy with three seconds to go.
In the second half, Brianna Leonard made a pair of free throws for the visitors with 16:40 left that left Williams up 42-32, but the Ephs then threw a cover over the basket, shutting out EConn for the next 5 minutes, 17 seconds.
Williams only allowed five second-half field goals, holding Eastern to 14.7 percent (5 of 34) from the floor. First-year Lauren McCall scored all five of her points during the Warriors' blackout, increasing the Eph lead to 49-32.
"I thought overall our defense was solid," Manning said. "I thought Katie Litman and Oge Uwanaka helped us control the boards for the most part, and MaryKate O'Brien continued doing a great job playing with poise and making great decisions against pressure defense."
Eastern Connecticut continued to battle, cutting its deficit to 12 on a Forsman free throw with 5:40 left, but Macdonald answered with a lay-up in transition and Cook followed a defensive rebound with a three off the left wing to boost the lead back to 17.
"Ellen and Kellie gave us big baskets when we needed them," Manning noted.
Williams held EConn to 23.2 shooting for the game, blocking 14 shots (three each from Uwanaka, Cook, Macdonald and Litman). On the other hand, the Ephs shot 49 percent (24 of 49) from the floor.
