Box Score
Williamstown, MA- The Williams College women's basketball team (4-1) used a strong fourth quarter effort to get past the Skidmore College (2-3) Thoroughbreds 62-53 for their fourth straight win since dropping their season opener. Three Ephs scored in double digits led by a pair of seniors, Lauren McCall and Devon Caveney, who scored 17 and 13 points respectively. Skidmore's leading scorer, junior Kelly Donnelly, increased her lofty scoring average of 19 ppg by dropping 22 points in the contest to go along with her 10 rebounds.
Both teams got off to a hot start during the first quarter that included nine lead changes, with neither team building more than a three point lead. Skidmore did most of their damage with sharp outside shooting, letting it fly despite shooting only 22.6% from three point range on the year. The Thoroughbreds drained three of their first five from distance and shot 46% from the field overall during their 18 point first quarter. In addition to the hot shooting, Skidmore brought down six rebounds on the offensive glass that led to eight second chance points. Williams did not lag behind the pace set by the Thoroughbreds, as they shot 43% from the field in the quarter, but they did trail Skidmore by 3 entering the second quarter.
The Ephs managed to give themselves some breathing room during the second quarter, outscoring Skidmore 16-8 in the period to take a 31-26 lead going into halftime. This was thanks to the efforts of junior Lydia Zaleski on the defensive end and senior Lauren McCall on the offensive side. Williams head coach Pat Manning said about Zaleski, "I thought Lydia did an outstanding job defensively, coming up with six steals and four assists was just what we needed from her." McCall shouldered the majority of the scoring, racking up 14 points in the first half including 11 in the second quarter by shooting a perfect 3-3 from three point range.
To say that Skidmore junior Kelly Donnelly took over the game in the third quarter is an understatement. The junior scored all 11 Thoroughbred points in the third quarter, draining shots of increasing difficulty as the Ephs put more and more defensive pressure on her. Williams junior Kristen Fechtelkotter, who was two points shy of a double-double in the game, scored six of her team's nine points in the quarter that gave Williams a 40-37 lead to start the fourth.
The Ephs made the clock their best friend in the final quarter, controlling the tempo of the game as the seconds ticked away. A strong defensive effort forced Skidmore into long and unproductive possessions. The Ephs made use of the entire shot clock at the other end, but still found baskets before the it expired. Zaleski knocked down a floater with one second left on the clock, and a couple possessions later freshman Emily Chang knocked down a three from the left corner late in the shot clock that just about sealed the deal for the Ephs. Manning said about her confidence in her freshman, "I don't think Emily plays like a freshman, she is very confident in her abilities and she's come up big the past few games for us." Free throws down the stretch lengthened the Williams lead, pushing the game out of reach.
Manning praised her team's improved offensive effort in the first half, crediting the improvement by saying, "I think we were just more confident with the ball, I thought Lexi Jones did a great job handling the ball and getting us into our sets. We've been rattled by presses the past couple games and haven't been able to set up our offense and I think we did a better job handling the pressure tonight."
Next for the Ephs will be a home matchup with Clarkson at 6:00 PM on Friday. Skidmore will travel to Wesleyan University this weekend to face Keene State in the first round of the Wesleyan Courtyard by Marriott tournament.
