"I think that the team has shown amazing potential and a lot of determination," said Bergman. "We've played some tough games and pulled through. If we make up our minds to win, nothing will stop us."
Nothing stopped the Jeffs-or Bergman-last weekend, as the squad rolled to its ninth and 10th wins in its last 11 games, with a 22-point win over New England and a 16-point defeat of Trinity.
Against New England, in a game postponed from Tuesday to Friday due to inclement weather, the Jeffs had to overcome a pesky Pilgrim zone, but Bergman's shooting went a long way toward doing just that. The forward racked up 12 points on five-of-seven shooting in the first half, helping Amherst to a 32-23 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, Bergman connected on each of her four attempts from the field, including two as part of a game-breaking 12-0 run that was sparked by a Sara Bozorg '03 three-pointer.
After New England responded with back-to-back buckets, Bergman drained another short jumper, and the Jeffs never looked back, eventually winning 66-44.
Along with Bergman's 20 points, Bozorg also finished in double-figures, with 10 points, and Sarah Walker '03 added a career-high five assists to her 10-rebound night, extending her school-record streak of consecutive double-figure rebound games to 10.
The second half was also the difference in Saturday's game against Trinity, as the Bantams trailed by only three at the half despite 15 first-half points from Bergman.
Trinity stayed close through the midway mark of the second half, closing to within two on a three-pointer from guard McKenzie Corby with 9:49 left, before the hosts broke the game open, just as they had against New England on Friday. Bozorg was once again the catalyst, draining a three-pointer just inside the nine-minute mark to start the run. Bergman capped the spurt with four straight points, extending the Jeffs lead to 58-47 with 6:07 to play.
Down the stretch, the Jeffs turned to their defense and free-throw shooting, led by Co-captain Hallison Putnam '02. Putnam was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe on the afternoon, including 6-6 down the stretch, and Bozorg, who finished with nine assists, hit two key free throws with 2:18 left to extend the Amherst lead back to 15, with the Jeffs eventually prevailing, 74-58.
For the game, Bergman finished with a career-high 23 points, turning in a 9-13 performance from the field, along with a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Combined with her stellar effort against New England, Bergman was honored as NESCAC's Player of the Week, the first Amherst player to receive the conference award all season. Her efforts also earned her recognition as the New England Division III Player of the Week, the first time in three years that an Amherst player was recognized in this way. Behind the first-year, the Jeffs moved up two places in the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) regional poll, jumping to third in the region, only the second time in the program's 23-year history that they have been ranked as high. Bergman is now fourth in the league in rebounds, averaging 8.8 boards per outing, and second in blocked shots, turning away 1.9 attempts per game.
Walker, Bergman's frontcourt-mate, is the league-leader in both categories, pulling down 11.6 boards per game and stuffing 2.3 shots per contest. But Bergman was not the only one to finish with a career-day against the Bantams, as Putnam's foul shooting helped her to a career-best 17 points.
Walker, who saw her streak of consecutive double-figure rebound games snapped, still finished with seven points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Caitlin Farrell '04 chipped in with eight big points off the bench, as the Amherst bench outscored their Bantam counterparts 29-6.
The Jeff reserves, who outscored New England's bench 22-0 on Friday night, have been a major part of Amherst's success, beginning with Putnam, who has been nearly flawless since returning from a bout of mononucleosis in middle of January.
"Our team has dynamic individuals who don't care who gets the credit," said Bergman. "We pull together on and off the court. If we had different people on the team, I don't know that we could have achieved as much as we have this season."
With the players they have, the Jeffs have achieved quite a lot, and, 17-3 with four games left, are in the unfamiliar position of controlling their own destiny insofar as the first-ever NESCAC tournament is concerned.
Currently tied for second in the NESCAC with Colby College, the Jeffs can guarantee themselves a spot in the postseason with a win in any one of their next four games. The Jeffs can assure themselves the top seed-and a first round bye-in the seven-team draw with a sweep of their final four games, which begin this Friday night at Little III foe Wesleyan University.
The Cardinals, who dropped a 62-59 decision in LeFrak Gymnasium on Jan. 16, knocked off Williams College in Williamstown last Friday, which means that an Amherst win would give the Jeffs their second straight outright Little III title.
"We have to go into it just like any other game," said Bergman. "Ready to play, aggressive and tenacious. It's on their turf so it is even more important for us to come out strong right from the beginning."
After Friday's game at Wesleyan, the Jeffs travel to Connecticut College on Saturday, before finishing the regular season with two huge home games against Bowdoin College-currently in first place in the NESCAC-and Colby.