Box Score AMHERST, MA – After defeating Hamilton in their first NESCAC matchup of the season yesterday, the Williams Ephs (6-7, 1-1 NESCAC) fell to the Amherst Mammoths (8-0, 1-0 NESCAC) 72-53, marking the Ephs' first double-digit defeat of the season.
Despite not playing since their 78-61 win over Wesleyan on December 3
rd, the Mammoths dominated from the opening whistle, starting the game on a 10-0 run and finishing the first quarter up 16. Though the Ephs were only outscored by one point in the second half, they were unable to get within striking distance.
"We got off to a slow start, and we dug ourselves into a hole," said Eph head coach
Pat Manning following the defeat. "We played a little bit better in the following quarters, but the first quarter really set us back."
Amherst guard Reena Patel scored eight of the Mammoths' first twelve points and finished with a team-leading 16, along with seven rebounds. Guards Gabrielle Zaffiro and Lauren Pelosi each added 12 points of their own, and guard Courtney Resch and forward Dani Valdez secured nine rebounds apiece.
After scoring a season-high 12 points against Hamilton, forward
Mia Holtze '23 led the Ephs with 13 points on 5 for 9 (55.6%) shooting. Holtze, however, was the lone Eph to score in double figures, and forward
Maddy Mandyck '23, usually a reliable presence under the rim, was held to just two points and one rebound in 25 minutes.
The Mammoths put the game out of reach early, leveraging their opening 10-0 run to take a 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Despite coming back from a 12-point first quarter deficit against Hamilton, Williams didn't respond in the same way on defense and finished the first half in a 20-point hole.
"When we went down yesterday, nobody panicked, and everybody just stayed right in the moment," noted Manning. "That wasn't the case today, and that's when we started taking poor shots and not making good decisions."
Amherst only extended their lead in the third quarter, outscoring Williams 21-15 on the strength of eight points, including two three-pointers, from guard AnLing Vera. The Mammoths didn't allow the Ephs to get within 20 until the final seconds of the game.
The Ephs shot 18 for 51 (35.3%) from the field, though their shooting in the second half (13 for 25, 52.0%) was much better than it was in the first (5 for 26, 19.2%). The Mammoths played more efficient basketball, going 29 for 60 (48.3%) from the field and 7 for 17 (41.2%) from deep. Amherst outrebounded Williams 40-32 and outscored them 40-18 in the paint, including a 22-2 mark in the first half.
"[Amherst is] a very solid team," remarked Manning. "You can't afford to give them extra chances, and we had some poor shot selection, which resulted in some easy rebounds and steals, and they were able to capitalize on those."
Next Friday, January 14
th at 7PM, the Ephs will play their first home game of the new year against Bowdoin.
