AMHERST, MASS.— Despite improved play to finish out the game, Williams (12-6, 3-2 NESCAC) was unable to recover from their shooting slump and lost 50-40 to Amherst (13-4, 3-2 NESCAC).
From 7:27 in the second quarter to 1:52 in the third, the Ephs didn't see a shot fall, picking up their only two points of the period at the free throw line. In the same time frame, the Mammoths scored eighteen points to go up as much as sixteen over the Ephs.
Kate Keenan ended the scoring drought with a jumper, and suddenly the Ephs found their energy. Arianna Gerig scored 16 in the fourth quarter and ended the night with career highs in both scoring and rebounding (26-11). However, the Mammoths were undeterred by the Ephs' renewed vigor, and held on to get the 50-40 win.
The game started shakily— neither team was able to pull down the tip definitively (leading to a re-jump) and there was no scoring for the first two minutes and forty seconds of play. Amherst couldn't take care of the ball in the first, committing ten turnovers, but Williams couldn't capitalize on Amherst's turnovers either, scoring only six points off these fumbles.
The Ephs scored four more in the quarter, for a total of ten, but Amherst was able to stay in the game by pulling down pivotal offensive boards. Six of the Mammoths' eight points in the first came from second chance looks.
The second quarter put Williams in dire straits. Shooting fell to just 12%, and as a result the Ephs only scored six points in the quarter. Amherst took advantage of Williams' faltering play, focusing their attack in the paint to score seventeen points on robust 47% shooting. The trend in turnovers had reversed as well— Williams had six turnovers to Amherst's one. At the half, the score was 25-16 Amherst.
Williams' shooting remained ineffectual to start the third but their defensive effort picked up, and Amherst's shot attempts and shooting percentage fell after the break. The jumper from Kate Keenan renewed the Ephs' spark, but at that point Williams was down 14 with just eleven minutes to get the game back.
The Mammoths didn't crumble. Though the Ephs won the fourth quarter, they did so by just one point, scoring 17 to Amherst's 16. The Mammoths' leading scorer, Reeya Patel, did her best to match Arianna Gerig's sixteen point quarter, scoring nine of her own to keep the game in Amherst's hands. Though the Ephs got within seven with 47 seconds to play, they wouldn't make another shot and the game ended 50-40 Amherst.
"I just think it was one of those horrendous shooting nights— we just couldn't seem to get anything to fall," said Eph head coach Pat Manning following the game. "Some of it was the Amherst defense but I also think we had some good looks and we didn't take advantage of [them]. Just kind of a frustrating offensive night."
Coach Manning gave credit to Amherst's defense, noting that the Mammoths "really packed it in the paint. They had nine blocks, so some of it was that we didn't make good decisions when we were driving, we could've pulled up and we didn't."
When asked what changed to give the Ephs a chance in the fourth, Manning said "Our energy got better. We wanted a faster pace and we [had been] playing too slow. I think we started attacking better, which is how we started the game. We have to be smart and control the pace a bit better. It was inconsistent on our part, the pace of the game."
The Ephs will play their next NESCAC match against Middlebury on Saturday. The game will take place in Middlebury, VT at 2PM.
Coach Manning focused on moving forward following tonight's loss. "Middlebury's a really strong team, and they've had some big wins lately. It'll be a battle. We'll let this one go. This team, one thing that they're good at is that they just take one game at a time. Now we'll start to focus on Middlebury and just look to rebound on Saturday."
