WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Williams women’s basketball (5-1) tallied their fifth straight win en route to a thirty-point win over Emerson College (2-3), 89-59, in the first round of the Williams Holiday Classic. The Ephs await the winner of the William Smith and Worcester State game in tomorrow’s championship round at 3:00 p.m. in Chandler Gymnasium.
Williams came out to a slow start in the opening minutes of play, and the Ephs led by just five points at the midway point of the first half. Emerson called a timeout with 9:12 left on the clock, and Williams came onto the court with a renewed energy. &nb sp;
Freshman Grace Rehnquist came off the bench and had an immediate impact, getting fouled following a made-lay up right off the timeout. She completed the three-point play, and would score three in the same fashion on the next offensive possession.
Rehnquist added two more points off two made free throws. Her solo 8-point run put the Ephs up top 27-14 with 7:56 to play in the first half. Williams continued to out pace the Lions in their transition offense, and headed into the locker room with a 42-22 lead.
The Ephs’ strong play continued in the second half. Lisa Jaris came out firing on the blocks, scoring 11 of her 17 points in the later period. Elizabeth Hansen contributed some sharp shooting off the bench as well, scoring back-to-back threes to mount a 13-0 run for Williams to break open the game and put the Lions out of contention.
Lisa Jaris and Chessie [Jackson] did a great job of playing aggressive tough defense, which was key tonight,” commented Williams’ h ead coach Pat Manning.
Williams finished the game shooting 47.8% from the floor. The home squad was equally overpowering on the defensive end, as the Ephs forced 25 turnovers and had 15 steals.
“We got off to a slow start, but our transition game kicked in midway,” said Manning. “We had a solid transition game, and our defense was much better in the last ten minutes of the first half. It was a good night. We wanted to keep our defense consistent, and we did that. I was very pleased with our second half effort.”
Jaris led the Ephs with 17 points. Jackson had a solid night on both ends, contributing 9 points and 8 boards. Hansen and Danny Rainer added 13 and 12 points off the bench, respectively. Rehnquist finished off her night with 16 points.
Olivia DiNucci scored a team-high 21 points for Emerson. Teammates Theresa McCabe and Kate Farino added 12 and 10 points for the Lions.
Worcester St. moves past William Smith, 63-52, to face off against Williams
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – In the second game of the Williams Holiday Classic, Worcester State (4-2) defeated William Smith (1-2), 63-52. The Lancers will face off against host Williams College tomorrow in the championship game at 3:00 p.m. Williams Smith will take on Emerson in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow in Chandler Gymnasium.
The first half was a close contest, with the Lancers ahead of the Herons by just three points. Although William Smith shot slightly better from the floor, Worcester was able to maintain a slight lead over their opponents. In the second half, William Smith could not find the basket, while Worcester State shot an impressive 52.0% from the floor. The Lancers also went 10-of-13 from the charity stripe to stave off the Herons in the latter period and take the game by an eleven-point margin.
Reilly O’Keefe led the charge for the Lancers with 18 points. Alexis George added 13 points, while Kara Rogers and Kaleigh Chareette contributed 11 points apiece. Bri Flanders was a presence on the glass, grabbing 8 rebounds.
Kristen Kush scored a team-high 11 points for William Smith. Jamie Rubin and Mollie Danahy chipped in 10 points, while starter Ashlinn Barber added 7 points and 8 boards for William Smith.
