Rookie point guard Shaina Pollack led the Jeffs to a 61-49 win over Suffolk, notching 17 points and grabbing three steals. Fellow first-year Matia Kostakis added to the point total with nine of her own, while leading the defense with 11 rebounds and three steals. Not only was the offense on fire, but the Amherst defense refused to give up the lead throughout the entire game, holding Suffolk to 31 percent shooting to seal the win.
WNEC proved to be little competition for Amherst. The Jeffs were led by sophomore guard Jenny Muller's 21 points en route to a 69-43 victory. Junior co-captain Krissy Morin contributed 12 points, four boards and four assists in the win. The Jeffs finished the game making 26-54 field goals including 50 percent shooting from downtown. Kostakis tallied eight points and eight rebounds, once again leading Amherst on the boards. The Jeffs held WNEC's offense to a miserly 28.3 percent shooting from the field, just over three percent less than what opponents have averaged against Amherst.
Even more decisive a conquest was the game against the visiting Simmons Sharks, who fell 71-41 to the Jeffs. Muller once again led the team with 14 points. Kostakis and first-year guard Stephanie Reiff each reached double digits, while sophomore forwards Liz Avis and Caroline Polales dropped seven apiece, a season-high for Avis. Kostakis, who leads the NESCAC in rebounds, grabbed 13 from Simmons and helped the defense hold the visitors to 22 percent shooting, forcing 17 turnovers.
Unfortunately, splitting the three wins was a disappointing 86-62 loss at archrival Williams College on Jan. 8. Although the game was not counted toward the team's NESCAC record, any loss to the Ephs is upsetting. The women started off strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead. As the teams fought for the advantage throughout the first half, the Ephs finished with a 28-8 run, ending the half with a 45-24 lead. Williams increased Amherst's deficit in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 32 points. Despite the loss, Reiff poured in a career-high 12 points, as did Kostakis, who also collected 11 rebounds.
Despite the unsatisfying loss, the Jeffs' senior co-captain, Kate Herlihy, found a silver lining in the game's result. "Obviously our loss at Williams was a letdown, but we've rallied and will be ready for our conference game against them next week," said Herlihy. "They shot exceptionally well from the three-point arc, but I think we match up very well with them."
Amherst met its first NESCAC competitor on Jan. 15, beating Trinity College 55-53 at the buzzer for the second consecutive season. Without a doubt, it was a class of 2008 show. Kostakis scored 15 points in the final 9:20. However, Trinity stayed in the game and the score was tied at 53 with 6.6 seconds left, but Amherst had possession. A Bantam steal was quickly negated by Pollack, who took the ball right back, drove to the basket and laid in the game winner. Kostakis' 18 points led the team and 13 rebounds and Pollack's 11 point.
Little Three rival Wesleyan University ended the Jeffs' three-game winning streak on Jan. 21 with a score of 64-54 despite an impressive team-high 11 points from Morin. Amherst possessed a slight 11-10 lead early in the first half, but couldn't hold on as the Cardinals made an 11-0 run. Although the women tightened the deficit to seven points at intermission, they couldn't quite pull ahead. Reiff added to the Jeffs' tally with eight points of her own, while Muller notched six. The Cardinal defense held Amherst to 17-57 from the field, and only 2-13 from beyond the arc. Even though the Jeffs outrebounded Wesleyan 40-32, the women lacked the offensive momentum to grab the win.
Following the disappointing NESCAC loss, the team posted an impressive 67-50 conference victory over host Connecticut College on Jan. 22, improving its NESCAC record to 2-1. Taking the lead for the Jeffs were junior foward Katie Latham and Reiff with 16 points apiece. In addition, Latham had four assists and grabbed five boards, while Reiff was notably 7-8 from the floor.
From the opening tip Amherst was on fire with a 21-6 run. Although the Camels recovered and cut into the Jeffs' advantage, Reiff hit a shot with three seconds remaining to secure a stable 11-point edge at the half. Conn. made several valiant runs but couldn't answer the powerful Amherst offense. Kostakis pushed the Jeffs forward in the second half, scoring six points and grabbing several rebounds in Amherst's final run. The talented rookie ended the game with eight points and 14 rebounds. Morin netted 13 points and dished out a team-high seven assists, continuing to lead the team in dimes.
With more than half of the season in their rearview mirror, the Jeffs are now focusing on advancing in the NESCAC: they have already shown remarkable improvement from last year, as the team was only 9-8 12 months ago.
"Overall, we're at a great point," said Herlihy. "We have already equaled our number of wins from last year and still have six NESCAC games to play." Whether this success can be attributed to fresh faces or solid experience, one thing is clear: The Jeffs are going to make a huge splash in the NESCAC this season, improving upon efforts from the recent past.
The Jeffs are already looking forward to their Feb. 4 conference tilt with the Ephs. "Though every loss is obviously disappointing for us, I would have to say that our losses to Williams and Wesleyan were the most disappointing for our team simply because we did not play the way that we know we can against these opponents," said Latham. "But I know that we're all excited to have another shot at both of them to redeem ourselves."
Last night Amherst lost narrowly to Skidmore College, 46-43. The Jeffs were lead by a 10 point, four rebound performance by Pollack and a nine point, three rebound showing from Kostakis. The Thoroughbreds in turn were led by guard Shanley Irving, who contributed seven points and seven assists. Amherst hosts first-ranked Bowdoin and Colby Colleges on Friday and Saturday, respectively.