POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - Williams (2-1) held on late to take down Vassar (0-3) in a neck-and-neck contest, 63-60.
Emily Tincher took 3 dribbles to the elbow and drained home the jumper to bring the Brewers to within 2 with 2:08 remaining in the game. However, Williams didn't allow the home scoreboard to climb past 60 for the rest of the game.
Maggie Meehan was fouled with 12 seconds to go and the score at 62-60. She hit the second of 2 free throws, but Vassar still had hope as they were within one possession. Williams used all 4 of their fouls to give, slowly bleeding the clock down to 4 seconds. Solid defense on the ensuing inbound forced Vassar to attempt a deep 3 with time expiring that wouldn't even have counted had it gone.
The Ephs provided themselves with much-needed insurance at the beginning of the game, scoring the first 12 points in under 4 minutes. Vassar responded with a 9-2 run bookended by jumpers from Dani Douglas. Douglas was Vassar's leading scorer with 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the field including 3-5 from deep.Â
There was a stark contrast in shot selection, as the Brewers took 33 threes as opposed to the Ephs 7. Julia Harvey was key in this regard, as she made 5-10 from beyond the arc, making at least one in each quarter.
After Vassar brought the game to within 1 in the second quarter, Williams's second unit provided a lift, starting with Ryann Taylor's catch-and-shoot 3. Izzy Sullivan scored 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 15 minutes. As a result, Williams outscored Vassar in bench points 20-8.
6 of Sullivan's points came in the midst of a 12-0 run in the later stages of the 2nd quarter, pushing the lead to 16, 41-25.
The Ephs needed all the breathing room they earned, as they were outscored 30-22 in the second half. 16 of the 22 points in the half were from either Meghan Meehan or Maddy Mandyck.
Any time Vassar hit a shot, Williams would come down to the other end and preserve their lead, pounding the paint, as Mandyck showcased with 19 points and 21 rebounds to go with a couple of assists on kick outs. As Williams continued to draw contact, they gained an advantage at the free throw line as well, making 14 of 18 from the stripe, good for around 78%.
For Williams, playmaking was done on a team basis, as Devin Biesbrock, Arianna Gerig, and Meehan had 3, 3, and 4 assists, respectively. The Ephs' coach, Pat Manning, was quick to point to those players as "composed, handling the pressure well". Williams hustled to loose balls and rebounds, leading the battle of the boards 58-29. Manning said, "we gave up some shots, but we didn't give up second shots", which was key to the young team's win and growth moving forward.
Williams will host the 2-day, 4-team Morin Memorial tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Ephs will open with a contest versus St. Lawrence University Friday at 6 PM.
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