Box Score WILLIAMSTOWN, MA –With three Ephs scoring in the double digits, Williams (16-2, 3-2 NESCAC) defeated NESCAC foe Hamilton College (9-8) by a score of 66-49. Although composed foul shooting brought Hamilton to within seven points of Williams by the end of the first half, twelve points by Ellen Cook in the second half helped the home team grab their fourth straight win.
In terms of scoring, Cook led for the Ephs with 18 points, but her teammates Kellie MacDonald and MaryKate O'Brien were not far behind with 16 and 12 points respectively. For the Continentals, Dani Feigin would lead in scoring with 13 points while Samantha Graber put 10 points on the board for Hamilton. Eph Oge Uwanaka crashed the boards hard this afternoon, grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. Graber would grab 13 for the Continentals, bringing their team total to 44 rebounds to Williams' 41.
The Ephs jumped out to a quick lead, going up 8-0 in the first five minutes of play. Aggressive defense and controlled blocks kept the Ephs in control of the ball for most of the first half. Williams grabbed their first double-digit lead with just over twelve minutes left to play in the half when Kellie MacDonald scored her seventh point of the game off of an unassisted drive to the hoop. However, Hamilton saw the momentum turn in their favor just a minute later as a five-point run made by the Continentals' Samantha Graber brought them back within five of the Ephs. Strong offensive rebounding by Hamilton kept them in possession for an extended period, but they'd be unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity.
The score would remain at 15-9 for nearly three minutes until MacDonald sank two free throws to jumpstart a six-point run for the Ephs. Although the Continentals would respond with a lefty layup by Dani Feigin and composed shooting from the foul line by Kate Bushell, by the five minute mark Williams was still maintaining a ten-point berth. Williams gave Hamilton the opportunity to shorten this gap, putting the Continentals at the line four more times in the next two minutes. Hamilton capitalized on the opportunity, and came within four points of the home team for the first time all game.
With just over two minutes to play in the half, Jane Thompson found success at the foul line for the Ephs, bringing the score to 27-21 in Williams' favor. However, the last thirty seconds of the half would prove very exciting, as a jump shot by Hamilton's Feigin and a three-point play by O'Brien brought the score to 30-23 in the Ephs' favor before the buzzer.
The second half got off to an exciting start, with eight points being scored in the first two minutes. By the 16:36 mark, Williams had regained their double-digit lead, bringing the score to 37-26. The Continentals remained competitive, however, keeping the Ephs from extending their lead beyond that eleven-point gap until just under the twelve-minute mark. With composed shooting by freshman Elise Testa and a strong drive to the hoop by Oge Uwanaka, Williams brought the score to 44-32. O'Brien extended that lead with a quick-release three-pointer and followed up that play with a defensive steal and a jump shot.
Williams continued to push the ball, as Cook scored her 13th point of the game off of a fast break to the hoop. With the score at 51-36, Hamilton pushed the ball hard up the court to utilize their speed in their comeback effort. However, in the last five minutes of play the Continentals would only come within ten of the Ephs. Clutch shooting by the Continentals helped keep them in the game, as Graber scored a three-pointer and Feigin drained two of her own in just under minute and a half.
In the last two minutes of play, Williams would take advantage of the gaps in Hamilton's aggressive defense to extend the score to 66-49 before the buzzer. Said coach Pat Manning, "Hamilton has some really dynamic shooters, and I think we overall did a very good job of pressuring them and taking away their open looks." Coach Manning was impressed with the way many of her players stepped up to take on different roles this afternoon, adjusting to changes in the lineup without missing a beat. "I can ask anything of these players, they just come to compete," said Manning.
Williams next takes on Smith at home in their last nonleague game on Monday at 7:30 P.M.
