Box Score
Williamstown, MA- The Williams College women's basketball team used an impressive three point shooting performance to drive a 66-49 win over the Clarkson University Golden Knights. Williams (5-1) had four players in double figures led by 15 points from senior captain Devon Caveney and 13 apiece from junior Kristin Fechtelkotter and freshman Emily Chang. Clarkson (4-2) was led by senior Devin Sorell, who matched Caveney with 15 of her own.
Williams looked to make the most of their size advantage early, running their offense through junior Lydia Zaleski. Both teams went to smaller lineups after Zaleski and her counterpart Alyssa Marsal each committed two early fouls. Williams head coach Pat Manning gave her guards freedom to run the show, saying after the game, "Tonight was exciting for us because we got to show our versatility, we had kids playing in different spots because Lydia got those fouls. It was fun to see Lexi [Jones], Devon, and Emily [Chang] all on the floor together and what they could do."
Both teams handled the ball cleanly through the first ten minutes, a statistical category that Williams specifically has struggled with so far this season. Ball security helped Clarkson run an efficient offense in the first quarter, converting on 46% of their field goal attempts that gave them a four point lead, 17-13, to start the second quarter.
The ability of the three pointer to swing momentum was on full display for the duration of the second quarter. The Ephs used long balls from Caveney and freshman Emily Chang to kick start and 8-0 run that turned a four point deficit into a four point lead. Sorell responded with a three pointer that hit nothing-but-net on its way through the cylinder. Sorell then added another three to put her team back up by two before Caveney converted both an old-fashioned three point play as well as the modern version to set the score at 29-23 in favor of Williams, where it would remain for the rest of the half.
Williams picked up where they left off on the defensive side to start the second half, limiting the Golden Knights to just 9 points in the third quarter. Manning said about the Ephs' defensive adjustments, "We knew we weren't defending screens the way that we wanted to, we gave [Sorell] three open looks in the first half that she never should have had. We talked about tightening that up and also taking control of the boards during halftime." Junior Kristin Fechtelkotter, one of the best Williams defenders, set the tone defensively coming out of halftime. Fechtelkotter locked down Clarkson's Stephanie Grobe in the front court. Meanwhile, sophomore Lexi Jones was able to limit Sorell to only two points in quarter number three. Defense combined with a continued offensive execution helped the Ephs stretch their lead to double digits by the end of the quarter, 44-32.
Clarkson found their offense in the fourth quarter, spearheaded by a revitalized effort from Grobe who scored 6 points in the final quarter. Clarkson was 7-18 overall in the final ten minutes, scoring 17 points that matched their first quarter tally. Unfortunately for the Golden Knights, Williams had a response for every Clarkson bucket, knocking down key shots to sustain a comfortable lead throughout the fourth quarter. Three pointers were again the shot of choice, as Williams added 4 more long-balls to finish with 11 threes in the game, shooting an impressive 50% from beyond the arc along the way. Manning talked about the key to finding more open looks: "We just talked about trying to move the ball better. In the first half we were trying to force things on the entry side, and we just need to be more patient. We want to play fast but we have to make smart decisions."
Williams will play a Liberty League team for the second day in a row when they face St. Lawrence University tomorrow at 3:00 PM in Chandler Gymnasium. Clarkson will stick around Williamstown for another day, playing a NESCAC team for the second day in a row when they face Tufts University at 1:00 PM.
