Box Score Williamstown, MA- The Wesleyan University Cardinals and Williams College Ephs met today in Chandler Gymnasium before the two teams settled in to take the finals that will end the fall semester. Williams (7-2) defeated Wesleyan (4-4) by a score of 64-59 after the Ephs had been trailing for much of the ballgame.
The contest marked only the second time this season that the Ephs' two leading scorers from a year ago, senior Devon Caveney and junior Amanni Fernandez, played on the floor together. Each player scored in the double digits, however both played a supporting role in the game, as junior Kristin Fechtelkotter led the way for the Ephs with a double-double that included 20 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks. All three totals were career highs for the junior forward.
Fechtelkotter's counterpart, Wesleyan's Tara Berger, also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds to go along with Maeve Vitale's team leading 14 points.
Fernandez, playing in her second game back from an injury, played like a true point guard in the first quarter, setting up her teammates for easy buckets. Kristin Fechtelkotter was the main benefactor of these plays, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Wesleyan likewise worked hard to find looks close to the basket, channeling their offense through sophomore forward Tara Berger who racked up six points and five rebounds in the first. The teams went back and forth down the floor, with the score ultimately settling at 18-16 in favor of the Cardinals.
Both teams went cold to start the second quarter, with each adding only two points to their total through the first four minutes. Turnovers and an inability to finish close to the rim were the main reasons for the offensive drought.
Wesleyan was able to gain some separation in the middle of the quarter, forcing Williams head coach Pat Manning to take a timeout after Maddie Bledsoe made a layup that gave her team a 25-18 lead. Williams then went on 6-0 run behind four more points from Fechtelkotter to cut the Wesleyan lead to one. Kadijah Matthews gave the Cardinals a two-possession lead going into halftime with her last second floater that nudged the score to 29-25.
The outside shots finally started falling in the third quarter after both teams combined to shoot 1-16 from three point range in the first half. Wesleyan used two threes from junior Maeve Vitale and another from Danielle Gervacio to power a 10-6 run to start the third quarter, providing tne Cardinals with a 39-31 lead.
The Ephs battled their way back behind gritty baskets from Fenandez and Lexi Jones, each player taking the ball hard to the hoop and finishing when they got there. Fernandez capped off a 12-4 Williams run with her layup that knotted the score at 43-43 at the end of three quarters.
Vitale opened up scoring in the fourth quarter with her fourth three pointer of the game, kicking off an 11-4 run that prompted another timeout from Eph head coach Pat Manning. Williams bounced back once again, and the long awaited first Eph three pointer of the game found nylon when freshman Emily Chang was left wide open in the corner. That shot gave the Ephs a 58-56 lead, and after a Wesleyan basket Jones made the Ephs' second three of the game and bumped the Williams lead to 61-58.
Manning was extremely pleased with several of the individual efforts put forth by her players, highlighting Fechtelkotter and Jones as two players the "had some of the best games of their careers today." About her team's offense, which has had its struggles so far this year, Manning said, "I thought we got off to a great start in the first quarter and found that rhythm again in the third and fourth. This is the first time we've had a healthy team since the first game which gave us more options down the bench and allowed us to play people in different spots. Other than the Springfield game, where our offense really clicked, this is one of the only games when we put it all together." Manning went on to praise the defensive efforts of Fechtelkotter and freshman Emily Peckham, who combined for 8 blocks and 2 steals.
Both teams will now take over two weeks off for finals period and the ensuing winter break.
Williams will play their next game against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on the 29th of December at a tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. Wesleyan's next matchup will be against Bridgewater State University on December 30th as part of the WPI Winter Tournament.
