NORTHAMPTON, MA – Led by an incredible performance from forward
Maddy Mandyck '23, the Williams Ephs (4-5, 0-0 NESCAC) attempted to extend their two-game winning streak against the Smith Pioneers (7-1, 0-0 NEWMAC), but a late comeback attempt ultimately fell short in a 65-60 defeat.
Despite playing with more intensity on defense in the second half, the Ephs couldn't overcome Smith's dominance on the boards. The Pioneers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds compared to just 3 for the Ephs, including a 10-0 advantage at halftime.
"We didn't play with the energy that we needed against a team like Smith," said Manning following the defeat. "You can't give a team ten extra shots. If you take away half of those, it's a whole different game."
Williams never led and trailed by ten points with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Ephs managed to cut the deficit to one on a free throw by guard
Maggie Meehan '22 with 3:15 to play, but Smith guard Ally Yamada immediately responded with a three-pointer, and the Pioneers never let the Ephs within one possession after that.
Though the Ephs shot an efficient 23 for 51 (45.1%) from the field, just four Ephs recorded a point. Mandyck scored a season-high 23 points, secured a team-high seven rebounds, and played all 40 minutes.
"Maddy was outstanding, and she's put a lot of time into improving her game," remarked Eph head coach
Pat Manning on the third-year forward's strong game. "We were able to get her the ball where she wanted it, and she was finishing really well."
Forward
Arianna Gerig '25 and guard
Ryann Taylor '25, both first-year starters, each made significant contributions, especially on the offensive end. Gerig scored 15 points – all of which came in the second half – and Taylor added 12 more and shot a perfect 4 for 4 from downtown.
"We're putting [Gerig and Taylor] in tough situations, but you can see them getting better every game," said Manning. "That's an exciting thing to see. This was a great growth game for both of them."
Yamada led the Pioneers with 17 points on 4 for 7 (57.1%) three-point shooting, and forward Elle Jo Whalen recorded a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Ephs trailed by just three at the half despite the Pioneers' rebounding advantage, in part because of a trio of three-pointers by Taylor and efficient shooting in the paint by Mandyck. The Pioneers appeared to be pulling ahead when a layup by Whalen gave them a seven-point lead halfway into the second quarter, but the Ephs managed to hang tough and outscore them 10-6 for the rest of the half.
The same theme continued into the second half. Whenever the Pioneers took a multiple-possession lead, the Ephs clawed back, but could not quite get ahead. After Yamada's three made it a four-point game late in the fourth, Meehan made one of two free throws, but Whalen and Yamada made layups on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to seven with under a minute to play.
"It'll help this team when we watch this game on film, to break it down and see places where we could improve," noted Manning. "To me, it's our defense that we need to improve on. We're almost there, but we still have work to do."
On Saturday at 3pm, the Ephs will play their first Little Three game in a home matchup against Wesleyan (4-5, 0-0 NESCAC).
