MIDDLEBURY, VT - The Williams College Ephs (11-7) continued their away games in Vermont with a contest against the Middlebury College Panthers (14-4). The Ephs continued the trend of performing better on the offensive rebounds, having fewer turnovers, but struggling from three-point range. Despite a strong showing for the Ephs in the second quarter, the Panthers took back control of the game in the second half and won 70-54.
The first quarter started slow with
Arianna Gerig getting the first basket from a fast break initiated by a hustle play on the defensive end two minutes into the game, netting her two points and a steal. The Panthers continued this trend of not protecting the ball with three quick turnovers only three minutes into the game. However, they stormed back with some easy layups and took their first lead with six minutes left on the clock, 8-6. The Panthers extended their lead to 14-8 with three minutes left, but the Ephs showed their toughness with some strong offensive rebounds from
Ellie Tounkara and Tatum Leuenburger. The quarter ended at 17-8 with a 15-2 run from the Panthers after a long scoring drought for the Ephs. The Panthers dominated the boards and got to the free-throw line.
The Ephs started the second quarter with a quick jumper from Gerig, showing their resilience after an unfortunate first quarter. Gerig continued to display her dominance with an easy floater from the elbow, reducing the difference to 17-14. Gerig had a fast cut to the hole and then made the right read by passing to Leuenberger, who drained the first three of the game for the Ephs. After another three from
Ellie Tounkara, the score was 21-20. The Panthers maintained some momentum after getting another easy layup, only for it to be zapped away after Gerig drew an offensive foul and forced a substitution. From there, the Ephs controlled the pace of the game with Gerig being the main offensive hub, leading to an easy three from
Ellie Tounkara which tied up the game at 23.
Micah Walton snaked into the lane for another layup with two minutes left on the clock. The Panthers played well with some hard-nosed defense, pressing key ball handlers like Walton and getting a block on a driving Gerig. The score was 31-29 with 26 seconds left on the clock, looking good for the Ephs, only for Keegly Baglio of the Panthers to finish the quarter with an and-one play, finishing the quarter with the Panthers leading 34-29.
Tounkara started the third quarter with a crafty layup for her 4th bucket, with the game at 34-31. She would finish as Williams's leading scorer with 17. The Panthers answered with a slew of buckets, only for the Ephs to match each one with these teams going perfect from the field for two straight minutes, leading to a 41-35 score. Middlebury extended their lead to 45-37 by dominating the offensive rebounds and some unfortunate turnovers and fouls by the Ephs.
Skylar Chui was subbed in and showed her toughness with some important hustle plays by getting two steals and an offensive rebound. After a three-pointer from Tounkara, the game slowed down with the score being 47-40 with almost four minutes left to play. Alexa Mustafaj for the Panthers got an and-one play to start an 8-2 run leading to the Ephs being down 57-42. Mustafaj scored 10 straight points on a tired defense. After a much-needed timeout from the Ephs, they failed to catch up despite some good shots and an offensive rebound, leading to the quarter ending at 59-42.
After two straight offensive rebounds, Leuenberger was finally able to convert, finishing a strong layup to start the last quarter. However, the Panthers continued to separate with multiple buckets, despite the Ephs trying something different by changing their defensive scheme to trap in the full court. The Panthers, with seven minutes left on the clock, had their largest lead of the day by being up 22, at 66-44. The Ephs managed to dwindle the deficit with two layups and a made free throw, getting the score to 67-49. The game ended at 70-5.
On the tough NESCAC loss, Eph head coach
Pat Manning said, "We started off with a slow first quarter and did not rebound the ball well. We were able to improve as the game went on. It was the slow start that really hurt us. Ellie played really well and had a really tough defensive assignment. Middlebury hit some good shots with good pressure on them and we did not answer on the other end. We have two games coming up next week and we will go watch film and get back to work."
In the next game, the Ephs travel to Maine to play Bates College on Friday, January 31st at 6 pm.
