Williamstown, MA - Coming off a three-game losing streak, the Williams College Ephs (4-3) had their first of a two-game back-to-back as part of their home-court Shooting Touch Tournament. They were met at home by the Regis College Pride (0-6) who were looking for their first win of the season. On the back of the Eph senior captains combining for 37 points, Williams pulled together strong offensive performances in each quarter to outscore the threatening Regis shooting. Snapping the Eph 3-game losing streak, they won 85-60.
Arianna Gerig broke the ice for the Ephs with an early 4 points, the first of which came from a post-spin and the second came from a transition basket. First-year
Skylar Chui, in her first career start, added two more with a hard drive leading to free throws which she converted. Regis came fighting back with a lay-up and an open mid-range shot, 6-4.
Ellie Tounkara continued her hot shooting season with the first three-ball of the game on a catch-and-shoot play assisted by first-year point guard
Micah Walton. Forward
Mairi Smith followed this up with a gentle mid-range make.
Congratulations to Pride guard Courtney Doherty for reaching 1000 points on a reverse layin with the shot-clock ticking down, 11-6. Williams kept piling on with
Kathleen Smith's and-one off a post-hook. Then came junior guard
Logan Coster's first points on a coast-to-coast drive off an assist from
Kate Keenan. Soon after was 6th-woman
Cortland McBarron's first points on a transition play with the help of a gorgeous pass through the opposing defense from Tounkara, 21-6. With the quarter ticking down, Regis went on a small run consisting of a three, a long two, and a free throw to keep the game competitive at the end of the first quarter, 24-12.
The Ephs out sized Regis quite handily and it was clear using this size advantage was a part of the game plan. This team had much success in previous games by focusing on rebounding, and this was clearly on display tonight, with Williams out rebounding Regis 49-29. However, throughout this game, the Pride's shooting, not their size, kept the game competitive with two early threes in the second.
Mairi Smith would be the one to answer with a three of her own to maintain the double-digit lead at 29-19. The Ephs effort did not prove fruitful with another small run from the Pride fueled by their shooting prowess, 29-24. Despite this, Williams turned to their bread-and-butter, the inside game, and with the help of Gerig and McBarron, the score was a breathable 37-25 before halftime.
Williams's plan out of halftime was to continue their attack on the paint. They started the second half on a 6-0 run with two of those drives coming from Gerig, who finished as the leading scorer with 19 points. Regis stuck to their strength and had their first points a few minutes in with an open wing-three following impressive passing work. Tounkara returned the favor with a corner three coming off a drive-and-kick from Gerig. The game started to become out of reach for Regis with the Ephs out-working them on both sides of the floor, leading to a 15-4 run. Around the end of the quarter, Williams emptied their bench which offered the Pride starters a few offensive opportunities, including a deep buzzer-beater three. However, Williams still led a comfortable 62-45 heading into the final quarter.
After the Regis run to close the previous quarter, Williams played it safe and brought their starters back in for the fourth. Tounkara came out quick with a three off a Gerig assist. Subsequently, every Eph starter made a bucket one after another, on a diverse stretch of mid-ranges, post-moves, and drives, showcasing their offensive versatility, 77-54. Regis did manage to string together a few successful plays and given their capable shooting, it was hard to say for sure but halfway through the fourth, this game seemed over. Tounkara would deliver the dagger three to give her 18 points on the night. The bench closed the night out strong for Williams with Keenan delivering a three and
Kathleen Smith's hard inside play, to bring the game to its final score of 85-60.
Eph head coach
Pat Manning had this to say about the offensive effort, "
Ellie Tounkara was awesome, and
Arianna Gerig as well with a double-double. Those two definitely stood out.
Mairi Smith played strong in the paint and we have been looking for that. We had a better second-half and overall our two captains led the way for us."
The Ephs look to build off this win in their next game tomorrow against Clark University at 3 pm in Chandler Gymnasium, as part of the second game of the Shooting Touch Tournament.
