WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – The Williams women’s basketball team (6-1) won the Williams Holiday Classic in a rout over Worcester State (4-3), 78-46, in today's championship contest in Chandler Gymanisum.
The win gives Ephs head coach Pat Manning her 325th win in 20 seasons at Williams College, making her the all-time winningest basketball coach in school history. Manning surpassed current Williams AD Harry Sheehy, who concluded his Hall of Fame career at Williams with 324 wins.
Sophomore Lisa Jaris was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while junior Chessie Jackson nabbed All-Tournament honors.
“Lisa Jaris had the weekend of her life,” said Manning. “That is the best she has played in her two years here. She worked so hard to get back after tearing her ACL, and to see all the effort she’s put in translate on the court is fantastic. Chessie [Jackson] has been solid from Day 1. She has always given us points, but also plays great defense day in and day out.”
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Williams had control of the game from the get-go, and avoided the slow start from yesterday’s game versus Emerson in the opening round of the tournament. Although Worcester State jumped out to a small 5-0 lead, the Ephs adjusted quickly and built a 24-11 advantage at the mid-way point of the half. Williams upped the defensive intensity, forcing 11 turnovers.
The Ephs would head into the locker room with a solid 42-23 advantage. Williams shot 17-of-33 (51.5%) from the floor in the first twenty minutes, and would close out the game shooting 50.0% from the floor. The home team was dominant on both sides of the ball.
“I thought that this was an all around great effort,” continued Manning. “We were defensively consistent for 2 full halves, and took care of the ball in transition. Our help defense was on point, so all the aspects of our team defense came together today.”
Williams continued to shut down their opponents in the second half, controlling the pace and flow of the game as they had done in the first half to close out the game, 78-46. Manning put five freshmen on the court multiple times in the tournament, displaying great confidence in her young crew.
“This freshman class is a very talented class,” said Manning. “They have depth and play with confidence. We have a solid group of returning players that shoe them the way, but they are all excited to be Ephs and they are coming into their own now. Jen Borderud really grew as a point guard this weekend, and Jennie Harding’s defense had great intensity. They have all contributed.”
Jaris finished with 13 points, while Jackson added 15 points shooting 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Taylor Shea added 8 points and 9 boards, while freshman Danny Rainer and Claire Beacher contributed a solid 7 points each off the bench.
Reilly O’Keefe was named to the All-Tournament team for the Lancers. She finished the game with a team-high 12 points, and grabbed 6 boards. Kara Rogers chipped in 8 points.
Williams Smith defeated Emerson in the consolation game of the Williams Holiday Classic, 86-80. Olivia DiNucci was named to the All-Tournament team for the Lions, while Carrie Stevens took the honor for Williams Smith.
Williams Smith takes consolation game in comeback over Emerson, 86-80
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – With an 18-point lead five minutes into the second half, it appeared that Emerson (2-4) might run away with the consolation game of the Williams Holiday Classic over Williams Smith (2-2). The Herons proved otherwise, storming from behind to take their first lead of the game since the fourth minute of play with 59 seconds left remaining in regulation. Williams Smith iced the game with a solid performance from the charity stripe, shooting 8-of-10 from the line in the final minutes of play.
In the first half, Emerson mounted a 10-0 run midway through the period to build a 12-point lead. The Lions would maintain a similar size lead throughout the last ten minutes, but could not push Williams Smith completely out of contention. Emerson would head to the locker room leading, 47-33.
The Lions continued to build their lead in the second half. The Herons attempted a press, but Emerson handled the defensive pressure with ease in the opening five minutes of the period and led by eighteen with 15:31 left in regulation.
Williams Smith slowly began to chip away at the lead, improving their shooting percentage in the second half from 36.1% from the floor to 59.4% from the floor. Emerson shot lights out in the first half going 18-of-29, but managed to shot only 39.1% from the floor in the final twenty minutes of play.
The Herons put together a 16-3 run to get within three of the lead with 8:42 on the clock. Emerson was able to scratch out a nine-point lead with three minutes left, but saw it slip away quickly as they began to turn the ball over. Williams Smith capitalized on their opponent’s mistakes to take the lead and the game, 86-80.
Williams Smith was led by Carrie Stevens who tallied a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Stevens was named to the All-Tournament team. Kristen Kush and Ashlinn Barber were huge contributors on the night, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. Mollie Danahy chipped in 11 points.
Lauren Zaniboni scored a game-high 23 points for the Emerson Lions, and grabbed 10 boards for a double-double. Olivia DiNucci followed with 22 points, and was named to the All-Tournament team. Jackie Williams added 9 points.
