Box Score Springfield, MA- Junior guard Devon Caveney led Williams with 25 points as the Ephs recorded a 57-47 win in their first road game of the year at Springfield College. The victory gives Williams its third win in as many games to open the season after playing host to Wheaton College and Babson College over the weekend. After beginning the 2015-2016 campaign 2-0, Springfield falls to 2-2 with their second straight loss after losing to New York University on Sunday.
The game went back and forth for three quarters before Williams was finally able to pull away in the fourth. The first quarter alone saw five lead changes, with Springfield emerging from the quarter with a one point lead. Williams found success in the paint in the early going, scoring eight of their first thirteen points off of layups. Freshman guard Lexi Jones provided the Ephs with a balanced attack with her ability to stretch the floor. Springfield had a response for every Williams basket behind the efforts of junior Molly McCausland, who went 2-2 from the field for five points to lead Springfield in the quarter.
Caveney began to steal the spotlight in the second quarter, making her presence felt on both ends of the floor with six points and two steals. Springfield was able to stretch their slim lead to as much as four points before Williams put together a 6-0 run to end the half, capped off by Jones' second made three pointer of the night with only 22 seconds to play. The Ephs took a precarious 26-24 lead into the locker room.
The game continued in much the same manner when the two teams returned to the court. Williams pushed their lead to seven points out of the gate when sophomore guard Ammani Fernandez cashed in on a three point attempt and subsequently made a layup during the first two Eph possessions of the half. Springfield bounced right back, scoring the next seven points of the contest to tie the game at 31 points apiece. Caveney scored the next seven points for Williams before Jones again showcased her range, nailing her third three pointer of the game to give the Ephs a four point lead and shift the momentum in their direction. Springfield freshman Gracie Restituyo hit a three pointer as time expired in the third quarter to cut the Williams lead back to one just as it looked like the Ephs were beginning to pull away.
Instead, Williams would have to wait until play began in the fourth quarter before they could really start to extend their lead. The combined effort of the entire Williams team in their defensive half held Springfield to only seven points in the quarter. Caveney alone had ten points in the quarter, rounding out her impressive offensive performance that also included six rebounds and four steals. A 9-0 run from Williams that bumped their lead to ten to start the quarter was too much for even the resilient Springfield team to overcome.
Williams head coach Pat Manning was quick to point out the individual play of Caveney, Jones, and senior captain Oge Uwanaka. Uwanaka, while only scoring two points in the game, contributed a team high 13 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals. Manning was also pleased with the way her team responded to the physical inside game of the Pride. Manning said, "I was really happy with our performance today in our first road game of the year against a very strong Springfield team. It was a great team win."
The Ephs have some time off to enjoy Thanksgiving break before their next contest at Skidmore a week from today.
