Amherst's most recent loss was likely the hardest one for the team to bear as the Jeffs were downed by the Ephs of Williams College for the second time this year on Saturday.
Taking the floor at LeFrak Gymnasium just minutes after the men's team capped off a thrilling 67-61 victory over the Purple Cows, the women's basketball team seemed determined to put an end their five-game losing skid.
But despite an impressive double-double from senior tri-captain Sarah Walker, who finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds, Amherst lost to Williams by a final score of 64-48.
Sloppy play punctuated the loss as Amherst turned the ball over a season-high 27 times. The Jeffs got off to a fast start against the Ephs with a 6-2 lead. However, the lead did not last as Williams took control with a 13-2 run. The Ephs carried this momentum to a 31-24 halftime lead and did not relinquish control for the rest of the game. With the win, Williams brought their record for the season to 13-3.
Although the Jeffs extended their losing streak to six with the loss, some modest consolation could be found. Senior tri-captain Sara Bozorg's four steals placed her on top of Amherst's career list with 193.
The fact that Amherst started its 2002-03 NESCAC campaign with an 0-4 mark was hard to fathom even just a couple of weeks ago.
After starting the season 2-0, the Jeffs were able to close out the month of December by winning four games in a six-day span. After defeating Keene State University by a score of 52-49 on Dec. 4, Amherst participated in the Pioneer Valley Classic just two days later. The team won both its games, topping Western New England College 64-43 and Westfield State University 61-56.
Amherst closed out the first semester with a 68-52 win over the Coast Guard Academy, giving the team a 6-0 mark heading into Interterm.
After taking time off for exams and winter vacation, the Jeffs resumed their strong play on Jan. 3 by kicking off a brief California excursion with a win over Occidental College. Two days later, they extended their undefeated streak to eight games with a 85-77 victory over Cal-Lutheran. Sharpshooting guard Shannon Russell '04 was the Jeffs' top scorer in both California wins, tallying 22 and 29 points in respective games.
"We came together really well in California," said center Caitlin Farrell '04. "Our defense was wonderful and everyone made contributions to the team."
After their successful West Coast swing, Amherst made what would turn out to be a bitter return east as they suffered their first loss of the season at arch-rival Williams College 63-45 in a non-conference game on Jan. 11.
Amherst seemed to have bounced back two days later when they defeated Smith College 62-41, but the Jeffs have since been unable to find the win column.
As the weather got colder, so did the Jeffs. Home court proved no advantage as five of their six consecutive losses came at LeFrak. They were able to keep their second loss of the season extremely close, losing to Babson College 66-65 in the closing seconds of the game.
Amherst began its NESCAC schedule on Jan. 17 by hosting Colby College. The game was tight as the Jeffs were down by one point to the White Mules with 1:32 left in the game, but Colby was able to pull away for a 67-63 triumph.
The following day the Jeffs welcomed the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College to LeFrak. Bowdoin came into the game ranked 7th in the nation with an 11-1 record and had little tolerance for a struggling Amherst team. The Polar Bears outscored the Jeffs 52-30 in the second half en route to a dominating 91-61 win.
Amherst looked to get out of the losing spell on Jan. 21 when they hosted Little III rival Wesleyan University in a non-conference tilt, but it was not to be, as the 24th ranked Cardinals eked out a 64-58 win.
A day before hosting Williams, the women's team visited Vermont to take on Middlebury College, losing 64-54.
"It's tough to stop a losing streak," said Head Coach Billy McBride. "Any one of these games you hope you could win."
Although the NESCAC opponents were tough, the losses leave plenty of room for improvement for Amherst. "You've got to give credit to [our opponents]," said McBride. "The NESCAC conference is one of the toughest in the Northeast, but we have to be able to match their intensity." McBride also believes that the team needs to drive to the basket more to divert some pressure away from their inside game. He also wants to see forward Marissa McGuire '04 get more involved offensively by taking more shots.
The Jeffs will try to shake off their losing streak at home this weekend against NESCAC opponents Tufts University and Bates College.
Despite the recent slump, the team is optimistic about its chances this weekend. "We will most definitely recover. We just played a real tough string of teams," said Farrell. "We know what we need to do to make the NESCAC tournament. We just need to pull together and win."