"Both the Bowdoin and Colby games were, in effect, championship games for us," said Co-captain Hallison Putnam '02. "The Colby game was all the more important because it was senior day and we wanted [Co-captain Charlotte Taylor '01] to have an exciting win to go out on."
Taylor had that, and then some, as the Jeffs opened Saturday afternoon's regular-season finale on an unprecedented tear. Guard Shannon Russell '04 scored the first 10 points of the game, and Amherst outscored Colby 26-4 over the first 10:30, including 15 points from the sharp-shooting first-year.
Colby, who entered the game in a tie with the Jeffs for first place in the NESCAC, rallied behind sophomore forward Sarah Walsh, eventually closing the Amherst lead to 16, 35-19, at the half.
The Jeffs, who have had too many dramatic second-half comebacks to count this year, found themselves in an unfamiliar position, with a big halftime lead in a critical game.
"We are used to having to fight back after a slow first half," said Taylor. "Knowing that we are mentally tough enough to change that habit and have a good first half gave us confidence, but we kept on reminding ourselves that anything could happen."
"It was different," said Russell of the team's dominating first half performance. "I don't want to say it was hard; it was different. It was a good feeling not having to rush as much or rely on come-from-behind baskets. We could play our game the whole game and let the other team worry about playing catch up."
The Jeffs, who had an eight-point halftime lead in Friday's win over Bowdoin but shot only 13 percent from the floor after halftime, came out much stronger in the second half against Colby, keeping the White Mules from drawing even. A late Colby run, keyed by a pair of Walsh put-backs, cut the Amherst lead to 57-51 with just under five minutes to play.
But Russell, in the standout game of a standout rookie season, had one more big shot in her, draining a long three-pointer with the shot clock winding down on Amherst's next possession to quell the Colby threat.
Russell's sixth three-pointer of the afternoon, which brought her up to a career-high 28 points, pushed the Jeff lead back to nine. The Mules would get no closer than eight down the stretch, thanks to solid foul shooting from Putnam and Sara Bozorg '03.
Russell was named the NESCAC Player of the Week as well as the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Rookie of the Week for the final week of conference play. She leads the Jeffs in scoring with 13.8 points per game and is leading the NESCAC in three-point shooting at 38.1 percent. Russell has received the NEWBA award twice this season.
"Even though we built up a big lead; we knew we had to be ready for Colby to try to come back," said Putnam. "They made a few good runs in the second half, but we were able to fend them off successfully."
On Senior Day, with all of the Amherst players wearing the number 21 on their arms, the Jeffs picked up their school-record-breaking 21st win of the season, a going-away present for Taylor, who wears number 21, in her final regular season home game.
"I think it was a great win, especially being [Taylor's] last regular season home game," said Russell. "There were good incentives to win, and I think those goals and the fact that we did not want to have to drive to Maine for the tournament definitely helped to fire us up. But Colby was just another opponent we wanted to beat. We go into every game expecting to win. If we didn't, we wouldn't be in this position at the end of the year."
With the win and Friday's 50-44 victory over the Polar Bears, when Russell also paced the Jeffs, netting 15 points on the evening, the Jeffs locked up the NESCAC's regular season title and the top seed in this week's NESCAC tournament. They also received a first-round bye in the conference championship and will host the semifinals and finals this weekend.
After last night's quarterfinals the Jeffs will host Bates College in Friday night's first semifinal at 6:00, with Bowdoin and Colby meeting in the nightcap at 8:00 p.m. The winners will meet Saturday night at 7:00, with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament going to the conference champion.
In the regular season the Jeffs beat the Bobcats 58-46. Point guard Bozorg directed the Jeffs on offense and led the team with 14 points and eight assists. Sarah Walker '03 added 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Bobcats entered the second round with a 64-53 win over Williams College last night.
Even with the best record in school history locked up, the Jeffs still have their sights set higher. The Jeffs have never been to the NCAA tournament, but this might be the year to break the drought.