Over Interterm, the Jeffs traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla., to play in the Land of Magic Classic. Unfortunately, the warm weather did not bring the team any luck, as they dropped a pair of games to non-league opponents. On Dec. 29, Amherst faced Muhlenberg College. The Jeffs led in the first quarter, but were down by 10 points at the half. They fell further behind in the second and lost, 88-71. Quad-captain Shannon Russell '04 led the Amherst attack with a season-high 18 points. Classmate and quad-captain LaShauna Barboza scored 10 points while sophomore Ali Flato scored 14 to pace Amherst's offense.
The next day, Amherst lost again, falling to Widener University, 71-55. Shooting accuracy hurt the Jeffs in the first quarter as they sank only 25 percent of their shots. Forward Katie Latham '06 had a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Also making their marks in the stat columns were Russell with 10 points and guard Kristin Morin '06, whose five assists matched a career-high. At the half, Amherst was down by only six points, but the Jeffs were unable to close the gap.
After returning to the frigid New England weather, Amherst's play heated up. The Jeffs won two non-league match-ups, defeating Simmons College on Jan. 7 and Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Jan. 13, though they fell to the Williams Ephs on Jan. 10. Against Simmons, Russell scored 22 points, 18 coming on three-point shooting. Latham scored 16 points and added seven rebounds and senior quad-captain Marissa McGuire had 12 points and pulled down nine boards.
In the win against WPI, Russell and Latham led Amherst in the scoring column once again, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Latham also had another double-double with 11 rebounds. Also in double digits was forward Caroline Polales '07 as she scored a career-high 10 points.
Amherst began NESCAC play with a road trip to Maine on Jan. 16 to Colby College and followed the next day by a game at Bowdoin College. Amherst was unable to come back to Massachusetts with a win in either game and then dropped a heartbreaker at home to Wesleyan University on Jan. 20, 53-51. The Jeffs rallied from an 18-point deficit but failed to convert on two potential game-tying shots.
Amherst posted its first NESCAC win last Friday, edging Middlebury 77-64. McGuire rocked the Panthers with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Also lighting up the scoreboard were Russell and Barboza with 15 and 13 points, respectively. The Jeffs played an excellent defensive game, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Panthers to only 10 baskets in the first half.
Amherst had the game clinched by the end of the half; leading not only by points, but with an intensity and rhythm that far surpassed Middlebury's. At one point, the Jeffs held an 18 point lead, hitting eight of 12 shots from behind the arc.
The next day, Amherst traveled to Williamstown to face Williams College for the second time this season. Despite four players in double figures, Amherst could not contend with Eph Colleen Hession, who scored 24 points, and the rest of her squad.
The play of the team's four captains and their leadership on and off the court have sparked Amherst this season. Russell leads the team in points with 208, and also in three-pointers, having sunk 40 thus far. McGuire has been a key player on the defensive end, leading the team in offensive and defensive rebounds (37 and 93), steals (29) and blocked shots (32).
Farrell has also been a commanding presence on the court, with the team's highest field goal percentage (.516) and 24 shots blocked. Barboza has also played solidly on defense and offense, with 55 rebounds, 102 points, 34 assists and 19 steals.
The dominant foursome may be notable, yet the underclassmen have also made a big impact on the court. Latham has been consistently raking in the points and holds the team high for free throw shots. Defensively, forward Julie Smith '06 has an impressive 22 blocked shots for the season and is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game.
The individual players are so strong that it has been hard to find a consistent starting lineup. "We haven't been able to play well as consistently as we want to; that is a big goal for us. We play great in streaks and parts of games, but we haven't been able to pull it together to play as well as we know we can on a regular basis," said McGuire. "We all have confidence in each other and what we can do as a team-we have so much talent-it's now a matter of finding the way to bring it out every time we get on the court. Now that we are in conference season, it's crucial that we stay confident and play like we know we can, to have success through the end of the season."
Amherst returns to NESCAC action at LeFrak Gymnasium on Friday evening at 7 p.m. as they face off against Tufts University.