Senior forward quad-captain Marissa McGuire was Tournament MVP, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the championship game. Also earning tournament honors was guard Ali Flato '06, who led the team with five offensive rebounds against Vassar.
In the season opener, the Jeffs went up 45-19 at halftime and came away with a comfortable win over John Jay, 85-44. Julie Smith '06 recorded a career-high 14 points to lead the Jeffs. Also contributing were Kristine Morin '06 with 11 points and McGuire and Flato with nine apiece.
Senior Shannon Russell led Amherst with 14 points and 3 steals. Playing an outstanding defensive game, the Jeffs held the Brewers to 27.1 percent shooting in the first half and 23 percent in the second half. Rookie forward Caroline Polales had a breakthrough game, scoring 10 points and posting six boards. "We had a great weekend at Vassar in which everyone had a chance to contribute," said McGuire. "It was a good confidence booster for us to start off the season and let us get a first look at how everything pans out for us in game situations."
Although the team had a successful weekend, the Jeffs ended Thanksgiving break with a 70-50 loss to Mt. Holyoke College on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Quad-captain Caitlin Farrell '04 scored 11 points for the Jeffs, while McGuire posted seven rebounds and 10 points.
Unfortunately, the high-scoring duo wasn't enough to get past a sharpshooting Mt. Holyoke squad which shot 50 percent from behind the arc, knocking down nine threes in the game.
A combination of 26 turnovers and sub-par shooting combined to foil the Jeffs. "We haven't been shooting the ball as well as we'd like to, and that is going to be key for us in the games coming up this week," said McGuire.
At 7:00 tonight, Amherst will look to bounce back against Keene State University in the Jeffs' home opener in LeFrak Gymnasium.