Box Score AMHERST, MA -- Williams Women's Basketball suffered their second loss of the weekend against Amherst College (13-0) today despite a 24-point contribution from junior captain Ellen Cook. The Ephs fell to the Lord Jeffs by a score of 78-62, bringing their record to 12-2 overall.
The Ephs would draw first blood with free throws by Cook, and jump shots by Kellie MacDonald and a layup by Oge Uwanaka would help the away team hold on to that lead for the next 12 minutes. Amherst remained on their heels until a three-pointer by Ali Doswell helped them overtake Williams. Doswell followed that up with another three-pointer to help the home team gain their first substantial lead. With the score at 16-11 in Amherst's favor, strong defense kept both teams scoreless until the 8:53 mark. Williams would not regain the lead for the entirety of the half, staying within at most seven points of their rival. In those last eight minutes, Jane Thompson would score six points for the Ephs, helping to finish the half within five points of the Lord Jeffs. The score would remain at 30-25 at the end of the first half.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Williams and Amherst remained neck and neck with the home team unable to extend their five-point lead for more than a possession or two. However, by the 13:07 mark, Amherst grabbed their first ten-point lead with ah jump shot by Megan Robertson. The Ephs fought back, using a strong inside game to set up Katie Leinbach, MacDonald, and Uwanaka for consecutive layups. Back within five points of their competition, Williams had ten more minutes to try and regain their early lead.
Unfortunately for the Ephs, the Lord Jeffs were shooting very consistently, sinking three three-pointers in a row to regain a double-digit lead. With the score at 60-50, Amherst didn't let their lead sink below ten points for the remainder of the game. MacDonald and Uwanaka would continue to be successful in the paint while Cook would remain consistent from the line, but it would not be enough to overcome their deficit before the clock ran out. "I'm happy with the way our defense improved from last night to this afternoon," said Coach Pat Manning. "We're a young team, and they really stepped up to execute well on that end of the court. Unfortunately, Amherst was shooting very well, making important shots and we couldn't reciprocate." Manning went on to say her team is very excited to be back in their home gym for the next five games, four of which will be conference matchups.
Williams next takes on Bowdoin at home at 6 P.M. on Friday.
