WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - In the first game of the Morin Memorial Tournament, St. Lawrence University (4-0) survived a fierce comeback from Williams College (2-2) to secure the win 65-64.
A pick and roll set up an open layup for senior Maggie Meehan that brought it to a two-point game. A mishandled inbound from St. Lawrence gave the ball back to Williams with 27 seconds left. The Ephs drew up another screen for Meehan who then drove to the basket. She was met by senior Katie Frederick who blocked the ball and took possession. After getting fouled, Frederick sank two clutch free throws to put the Saints up four. Williams Junior Devin Biesbrock hit a buzzer-beater three but it would not be enough to tie the game.
"It's exciting to see the growth in this team," Ephs' head coach Pat Manning said. "We're so young, but we can see the progress each day. St. Lawrence is a very talented and experienced team so this is a good step for us. We're just taking it day to day and trying to improve as a team."
Meehan led the Ephs with 25 points while
Devin Biesbrock added 15 points. Arianna Gehrig scored nine points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Ellie Tounkara scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Maddy Mandyck had a team high 13 rebounds for Williams. Frederick led St. Lawrence with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Sierra Sanson also had 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor and added seven rebounds. Ava McCann added 12 points, hitting three three-pointers.
The game started with early buckets from freshman Arianna Gerig and guard Maggie Meehan to put the Ephs up 7-3. However, the lead did not last long as Saint senior Ava McCann scored two threes to help push the Saints to a 19-11 lead by the end of the quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the Ephs failed to generate consistent offense, shooting 5 of 17 from the field. The Saints were more aggressive in the 2nd, scoring 12 points in the paint. The score was 38-26 at halftime.
The third quarter was much of the same as the Ephs shot 31 percent from the field. The major momentum shift came in 4th where the Ephs outscored the Saints 22 to 10. Great defense from the Ephs created 7 points off turnovers. Spectacular shooting from behind the arc also resulted in 3 made three-pointers for the Ephs.
"I thought Ellie (Tounkara) was a spark off the bench for us," Manning said. "And Arianna (Gehrig) played with great energy and poise. Devin (Biesbrock) did a great job staying composed and facilitating our run in the fourth quarter. And Maggie (Meehan) came up with some key shots during that run."
Williams College (2-2) looks to bounce back against Framingham State University (2-0) tomorrow at 3 PM.
