Williams women’s basketball dropped to Western Connecticut State University 71-68
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“They [Western Connecticut] is a very good three-point shooting team,” said Williams’ head coach Pat Manning. “We knew that coming into this game, and didn’t do what the scouting report talked about, and that obviously hurt us.”
The Colonial’s three-point range began its damage with 4:06 remaining in regulation. Heather Lee knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 63 points apiece. Karli Spera scored two back-to-back shots from downtown on Western Connecticut’s following two possessions to put her squad ahead by four, 69-65, with 2:25 on the clock.
The Ephs managed to crawl within one of the lead, after a turn around jumper in the paint by Chessie Jackson. Jackson led all Ephs scorers with 16 points on the night. Taylor Shea could have tied the game at 69 apiece at the line, but managed to make the back end of her two free throws to bring the score to 69- 68. Shea finished the game with 9 points and 8 boards.
Williams mounted a solid defensive effort on the next offensive possession for the Colonials, forcing a tough three point attempt with the shot clock winding down. Freshman Grace Rehnquist missed a driving lay up with five seconds on the clock that would have dealt the Ephs a one-point lead. Instead of immediately fouling, the Ephs mistakenly stayed off the ball and allowed for three seconds to run off the clock.
The Ephs finally fouled with 2.6 seconds on the clock. The Colonial’s Melissa Teel headed to the charity stripe and hit her two free throws for a 71-68 lead. In the final play, Rehnquist drove the ball up court but could not get off her three-point attempt until after the buzzer.
Williams played an inconsistent game on both ends of the floor, but had a solid spurt at the end of the first half. Neither team led by more than four points until the last five minutes of the first half when the Ephs went on a 7-0 run to bring the lead to eight at 31-23 with 3:49 to play. The Colonials narrowed the lead to four at the half, trailing 33-29. The Ephs lead was short-lived, as Western Connecticut went on a 10-3 run early in the second half to knot the score just five minutes in.
“We were controlling the pace of the game during that good stretch of play,” commented Manning. “But we were so inconsistent, and it was very frustrating. We didn’t come ready to win. We were thinking too much, and we were tentative. We did the right things in spurts, but we had opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of. Bottom line, we didn’t come into this game with a mindset to win, and that’s something we need to work on.
The Ephs were missing a key contributor to their team dynamic in tonight’s game, as point guard Jill Greenberg is out sick with mononucleosis.
“We lacked floor leadership tonight, which is something that Jill always bring to every game,” said Manning. “That hurt us, but it was a good learning experience especially for out first years. We had three first-years on the court in the final play, and in such a pressure situation. That experience will be good for conference play down the road.”
Rehnquist scored 14 points, while Lisa Jaris added 9 points for the Ephs. The Colonial’s were led by Teel who tallied a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Spera and Katie Moffo each added 15 points apiece, while Heather Lee scored 14 points.
Williams will look to rebound from their loss quickly, as the Ephs host Hamilton College this Saturday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Chandler Gymnasium.
