ROCHESTER, NY — Junior Chessie Jackson
scored 29 points, including seven three-point goals, to lead
Williams College to an 82-75 victory over Oneonta State in the
consolation game of the Chuck Resler Invitational at the University
of Rochester.
Jackson was one of five Ephs in double figures. She added six
rebounds and seven assists. Jennie Harding contributed 14 points,
hitting four of five three-point shots. Jill Greenberg had 12
points, 10 assists, and three steals. Taylor Shea scored 12 points.
Kelsey Ham scored 11 points.
Despite the scoring outburst, Ephs head coach Pat Manning attributed better defense and rebounding in the second half for the victory. Williams held the Yellowjackets to 31 second-half points and erased a nine-point halftime deficit to even its record at 1-1.
"In the first half, our defense was awful," Manning said. "We
were slow reacting. We emphasized defense and rebounding at
halftime and started to turn it around in the second half. Down the
stretch I thought we played great team defense -- we really started
to communicate well on screens."
Williams went on an extended 29-8 run over 12 minutes of the
second half. The Ephs trailed, 52-41, with 17:12 to play (on a
three-point by Katie Wilverding).However, a 14-3 run tied the game
at 55 with 11:37 remaining. Five different Ephs scored during the
run, which was capped by a three-pointer from first-year Jennie
Harding.
The Ephs took a brief lead when Jackson hit a short jumper, then took the lead for good when the junior drained a trey off an assist from Shea. After an Oneonta miss, Harding sank anothr three-ball for a six-point lead. During the 29-8 run, Jackson scored 10 of the 29 points, including a pair of threes. She finished the burst with a three-pointer to extend the Williams lead to 70-60 with 5:05 to play. Jackson was named to the all-tournament team.
"Chessie was outstanding today, and we got a real boost from Jennie Harding off the bench," Manning said. "There was also a time when Kelsey Ham kept us in the game. Overall, it was a total team effort, and I was real happy with the adjustments we made at the half and our defensive performance in the second half."
As a team, Williams sank 14 three-point goals in 23 attempts (61
percent ). The Ephs hit six of nine in the second half, battling
back from a 44-35 halftime deficit. The 14 treys broke the Palestra
site record of 13, set by Rochester in the 2006 NCAA Division III
playoffs.
All five starters hit double figures for Oneonta. Mary Kate
O’Connell scored 16. Rebecca Bucci had 15, eight rebounds,
and three assists. Sara Chrystie scored 14, Erica Puffer had 13,
and Samantha Szkotak had 10. She left with three minutes remaining
in the first half due to injury and did not return.
Williams (1-1) hosts Springfield Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
