Box Score Hartford, CT- The Williams College Ephs did battle with the Trinity College Bantams on the road in Trinity's first NESCAC game and the second for the Ephs. Williams (11-3, 1-1 NESCAC) pulled away from Trinity (9-3, 0-1 NESCAC) in the third quarter on their way to a 68-54 victory, bouncing back from a 76-44 loss at Amherst on Friday night. Williams was led in the game by 18 points from their leading scorer, senior captain Devon Caveney, and 19 points from junior Amanni Fernandez, who played a huge role in the decisive third quarter. Erica Junquet led the way for the Bantams with 17 points. All three benefitted from quality shooting at the free throw line, as each player made at least 8 foul shots.
The Ephs came out cold in the first quarter, missing their first four shots before sophomore Lexi Jones made a strong move on the baseline to score the first basket for the Ephs. Williams was able to limit the Trinity attack for the first four minutes, though the aggressive defending came at a cost in the form of two personal fouls on senior captain Lauren McCall. Trinity found its rhythm offensively when Aubree Udell tried her luck from long distance, knocking down her first two threes and leading her team out to a 10-2 advantage. The Bantams would only score two more points for the remainder of the first quarter, allowing Williams to slowly climb out of the hole behind six points from Caveney.
Neither team gained separation in the first half, exaggerating the importance of all the little plays that add up to a win. For instance, gaining second chance opportunities becomes crucial for an offense and inexcusable for a defense. Williams held a 22-17 edge in rebounding through the first two quarters and a 6-4 edge on the offensive glass. Kristin Fechtelkotter and Lydia Zaleski did not make their presence known on the scoreboard, but both players recorded five rebounds in the first half, with Fechtelkotter throwing in four blocks for good measure. Trinity had a chance to use free throws to pull away towards the end of the half when Williams got in foul trouble after Fernandez picked up her third. A couple missed free throws for Trinity left the door open for Emily Chang, who had been 0-4 from three point range, to bank home a buzzer beating three from just inside half court to tie the score at 24 apiece heading into the break. Williams would use the momentum generated from that play to pull away in the third quarter.
The Williams defense continued to be airtight in the third quarter, regularly forcing Trinity into bad shots at the end of the shot clock and holding the Bantams to just eight points in the frame. Meanwhile, the Williams offense came to life, almost doubling their halftime total by scoring 20 points in the third. Everything went through Fernandez, who scored 10 points in the quarter and consistently moved the ball through the Trinity press with ease. Trinity's Peace Kabari took over the small ball duties that were Fechtelkotter's in the first half, flying around the court recording steals and rebounds whenever her team needed them. Her efforts did not always translate into points, however, which is why Williams took a 44-32 lead into the final quarter. The lead rarely dipped below ten points during the fourth quarter, as Williams halted any would-be Bantam runs with defensive stops and timely baskets.
Williams head coach Pat Manning said following the game, "I thought we came out a little flat in the first quarter, similarly to how we played on Friday, but I thought we did a great job of picking up the tempo and intensity as the game went on. We were too cautious during the first half and switched to a more aggressive mentality in the second, moving the ball better and attacking the rim." Manning recognized the work of first year Emily Peckham, who did the dirty work in the paint for Williams, racking up ten rebounds (five offensive) and two blocks. That type of effort is exactly what Williams needed to do in order to win, as Manning said, "Trinity played hard for all forty minutes, they kept coming at us. We did a great job of controlling the boards and making our free throws down the stretch. Any time you get a road win in the NESCAC it's a big deal."
Williams will play their next three games at home all against conference opponents, starting with the Colby College Mules on Friday. Trinity will likewise play their next conference game at home on Friday in an interstate duel with the Connecticut College Camels.
