Williamstown, MASS.— Wesleyan (10-12, 3-5 NESCAC) had a very good offensive afternoon today in Williamstown, putting up 76 points in their third highest scoring outing this season, but Williams (16-7, 7-2 NESCAC) had an even better afternoon, putting up 84 points to top the Cardinals by 8.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Ephs held a 14 point lead over the Cardinals. However, Wesleyan didn’t let the game go, fighting to keep the score within single digits. Their attack started in the paint, and spread out to the three point line as the clock ran down. A three from Olivia Quinn got the Cardinals within six, but with only 26 seconds left, they would’ve needed a miracle to send things to overtime. The Ephs pulled through, ending the game with an 8 point lead.
The Ephs shot 13-16 from the line in the final period, a fact that kept the game in their control despite the Cardinals counter-attack. Devin Biesbrock sank 8 of these free throws and scored 23 this afternoon— her second career high this weekend, after a 14 point night yesterday.
Ten Williams players scored this afternoon, with four reaching double digits. Eph head coach Pat Manning gave a nod to the team effort: “I think when we had to come up big with a shot, when momentum was starting to shift, or when we were going on a run, different kids came up big: Cortland, Ryann, Devin. Maddy had some shots in there, and Ari. It was fun to see different people step up today. I thought Ryann had an awesome game. This is a career-high for Devin. Maddy almost had a triple double, she had 12 rebounds and 10 assists, with six points.”
The game started with a team effort as well. Against the Cardinals’ zone defense, Maddy Mandyck drove into the lane before kicking out to Devin Biesbrock, who sank a three. The Ephs would go on a 9-0 run to start the game, staying sharp on both ends. The Cardinals’ Abby Gray scored Wesleyan’s first points with a layup on the fast break.
While Wesleyan’s scoring would pick up after the bucket, Williams pushed forward on each retaliation— keeping even and matching each of the Cardinals’ points with scoring of their own. The score after the first was 22-13.
On the Ephs’ first play of the second, Ryann Taylor rejected the screen to drive to the basket for two. On the other end, Arianna Gerig forced a turnover and sent the ball back to the Ephs’ end, where Cortland McBarron was fouled going up for a layup. McBarron made one, and after Williams got another stop, she was fouled again, this time sinking both.
Though the Ephs started strong, they faltered in the middle of the quarter, and Wesleyan capitalized on their six turnovers, going on an 11-2 run in a 2:20 period. Williams’ ship was righted with seven consecutive points for Devin Biesbrock, as she scored from behind the arc and on the drive. Despite a successful layup at the buzzer for the Cardinals, the Ephs still held a comfortable double-digit lead at the half.
In the third, Williams outpaced Wesleyan on shot attempts, shooting percentage, and rebounds. Biesbrock surpassed her previous career high with a pullup from the elbow, responding to three quick points from Gray. With the edge in these key stats, the Ephs went up by another four, giving them the 14 they had at the beginning of the fourth.
Though a number of Cardinals came up clutch in the final quarter, the Ephs stayed steady, nailing most of their free throws and sinking high percentage shots in the paint.
Eph head coach Pat Manning expressed her pride in the team’s steady play following the game: “We had such an emotional win last night. To come back so quickly and be able to refocus was really key and I’m proud of how we did that. Wesleyan’s a team that fights for 40 minutes, and they kept coming back. That’s how NESCAC games are.”
The team moved the ball extremely well in the second half, on which Manning noted “they were zoning us at that point. We were talking about how key it is to go inside-outside and be patient, and I thought we made really good decisions. Our shooting percentage reflected that too, 50% in the 3rd quarter and 44% in the 4th. This is some of the best shooting we’ve done lately, and [84] is the most points we’ve scored in a long time. I’m not thrilled that we gave up [76] on the defensive end— I think we gave up some easy baskets— but it was fun to see our offense really click today.”
This win, the Ephs’ seventh in NESCAC competition, “guarantees us a home game,” said Manning. “That’s just fun. That’s always a goal when you’re going into a season, you want to host the first round, so that was big. We’ve got one left, next weekend. A week to regroup, and get ready. I think this was a tremendous weekend for us.”
The Ephs will play their final regular season game at 3PM next Sunday, at home in Chandler Gym against Connecticut College.
