With seven players, including the NESCAC's leading scorer, gone from last year's squad, and with a pre-season roster that featured two upperclassmen and seven newcomers, no one gave the Jeffs much of a chance.
Eighteen games later, the Jeffs have used a combination of balanced offense and suffocating defense to become one of the winter season's most pleasant surprises, with a 15-3 record.
"We just play with a lot of composure and confidence, especially in tight games," said Co-captain Hallison Putnam '02. "We've been successful at stepping up to the challenges we've faced so far."
January was full of such challenges for the Jeffs, who had trailed at halftime in six straight games before last night. The first of those games came at arch-rival Williams College on Jan. 13, where the Jeffs trailed by four at the half, and by as much as nine points late in the second half. However, Amherst rallied behind forwards Sarah Bergman '04 and Sarah Walker '03. Walker's short jumper with 11.1 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 59, with the Jeffs going on to a 68-63 win in overtime.
The Williams win came two days after the Jeffs' 31-point thrashing of Babson College, then the number-one team in New England, and was the start of an improbable series of dramatic games. Three days later, against Little III foe Wesleyan University, the Jeffs trailed late again, this time looking to Co-captain Charlotte Taylor '01 for
the heroics. Taylor responded in kind, connecting on back-to-back buckets, including a nifty left-handed lay-in with 1:46 remaining that put the Jeffs ahead for good in the 62-59 win.
Even Amherst's one loss during Interterm-their heartbreaking 81-79 defeat in the rematch against Williams three days later-was not without its heroics. The Jeffs, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, and by five with 25 seconds left, knotted the game at 79 with 5.1 seconds left on freshman Shannon Russell's second deep three-pointer in as many possessions, only to fall victim to a lay-in from Williams guard Kate Stumpo with 1.8 seconds left.
The following afternoon at Middlebury College, it was deja vu all over again, as the Jeffs trailed by six points with 2:51 left. Bergman, who finished with game-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds, scored the game's next five points, before two Walker free throws sealed the game, 45-44.
Middlebury guard Megan McCosker hit a charity toss with one second left to force overtime, but, as in the game at Williams, the Jeffs dominated the extra period. Russell drained a three-pointer to open the five-minute frame, Bozorg added a short jumper on the following possession to put Amherst ahead by five, and the Jeffs held on for the 55-49 overtime win.
"We pull through late in games because we are totally confident in our abilities," said Walker. Putnam agreed. "Despite how young our team is this year, we play with a lot of composure and confidence, especially in tight games," she said.
The Jeffs' last two games of Interterm were not quite as nailbiting, though the squad trailed again at halftime in both contests, Friday night's home date against the Bates College Bobcats and Saturday's game against Tufts University. A pair of solid second-half performances later, the Jeffs had their first-ever win against Bates, a solid 61-51 win over Tufts and a share of second-place in the NESCAC.
The clutch January performances have the Jeffs in position for a run through the NESCAC, and with a chance to host the semifinals and finals of the league's inaugural conference tournament at the end of February. For a team that starts four underclassmen, with freshmen-Russell and Bergman-as the two leading scorers, the Jeffs have, overnight, become one of the region's toughest and most battle-tested teams.
"We're definitely ready for whatever comes our way," said Walker. "We've been in the tightest situations ever and come out on top. It's really not a question of what the other team throws at us, it's how we choose to approach each game." So far, the Jeffs have been approaching each game with confidence and fearlessness, a combination that has them poised for a run at their first post-season berth in four years, beginning with Saturday's home date against Trinity College.