WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- After leading by as many as sixteen points in
the first half, Williams (6-2) allowed Union (2-2) to claw their
way back into contention before regaining composure in overtime and
sealing an 89-84 victory.
"To show that kind of poise tonight is just unbelievable," said a
visibly proud Williams head coach Pat Manning. "Momentum had
been shifting all throughout the second half and that can be really
tough to recover from, but we played together and that shows great
poise and character."
The Dutchwomen tied the game at seventy-five apiece with one
second in regulation after Williams bobbled the rebound off a
missed Union free throw. Union's Michelle Rogers (15 points,
7 rebounds) recovered the ball in the middle of the paint and took
a jump shot off the glass to force overtime.
Senior captain Whitney Livermore (6 points, 5 rebounds) and
freshman Jessica Harris (14 points) were key contributors in
overtime play, and clutch free throw shooting helped propel the
Ephs to their fifth consecutive victory. Williams opened
overtime with a 6-0 run, four of which came off Livermore free
throws. Union would close within two points at 83-81 before
Harris took over.
Driving to the basket with 46 seconds in play, Harris extended the
Ephs lead to four points on a successful lay up. The Williams
freshman went 2-for-4 at the line to bring the score to 87-81
before junior Mika Peterman (17 points) nailed two of her own shots
from the charity stripe. A last ditch effort saw Union's
Maria Tobin (27 points, 7 rebounds) nail a three pointer, but it
was all in vain as the clock expired with Williams ahead 89-84.
Williams shot 60 percent from the floor in overtime, and sunk
8-of-10 free throws.
The Ephs started off the game strong, and appeared to have secured
a substantial early lead by playing their fast-paced transition
game. The Dutchwomen shot 34.4 percent from the floor, and
more importantly shot a meek 3-for-11 from outside the arc.
Poor outside shooting by Union, coupled with a strong zone
defensive, proved insurmountable for the Ephs' opponents in the
first half. Williams headed to the locker room leading 43-34.
Tobin, who scored only three points in the first twenty minutes of
play, was unstoppable from the three-point line in the second half
and almost single-handedly brought her squad from behind. She
tied the game at 61 apiece with 8:40 remaining in regulation, and
the Dutchwomen took their first lead of the game, 70-69, with 2:03
on the clock. Williams led 75-73 before foolishly fouling
Union's Rachel Ormsby (26 points, 11 rebounds) with 5.6 seconds
left and allowing Rogers to take the last second put in.
"We just stopped running in the second half, " continued
Manning. "We played the second half in one half of the court
instead of using the full court. They [Union] out rebounded
us on the offensive boards, 18-10, and we just cannot allow that
and still run the ball. We’re a better team in
transition, and I think in overtime we started attacking
again. Focusing on rebounding made us more effective."
Chessie Jackson led all scorers, pouring in 28 points and grabbing
7 rebounds. One point short of a double-double, Taylor Shea
contributed 9 points and 11 boards. Niki Savageau continues
to impress as the Ephs point guard, dishing out a career-high 14
assists and adding three buckets.
Williams will travel to Brandeis on Saturday, December 10 at 2:00
p.m. for their final contest before end of semester final exams.
