Despite the disappointing end to the season, the team has managed to maintain a positive attitude. "This season has definitely been the high point in my Amherst career, especially in terms of our team's chemistry and how much fun we had," said Latham. "I've really enjoyed my experience playing basketball at Amherst and it has definitely given me some of my fondest memories here."
The game began well for the Jeffs, who took advantage of sloppy Williams shooting within the first few minutes to grab a quick 6-4 lead. Latham and Morin added a combined six points and four rebounds, as the Jeffs went seven for eight. However, Williams answered as Eph Mika Peterman sank a beautiful jumper to take back the lead for the team from Williamstown. From there, the two teams traded baskets, as neither side was able to maintain a secure lead until Williams junior Maggie Miller hit a jumper and then was fouled for the old-fashioned three-point play with 2:30 remaining. Amherst then committed four straight turnovers, allowing Williams to build a sizable 28-20 advantage right before the break.
Yet, with 23 seconds remaining, Flato had a strong block, allowing Smith to grab the defensive rebound and dish it to sophomore Stephanie Reiff who hit a jumper, closing the gap to 28-22 at intermission. "In the first half the game felt really good," said Latham. "We did a pretty good job containing them defensively and we were running our own offense effectively as well."
Unfortunately, the second half opened with a 13-4 Williams run, with six points from Miller alone, edging the point gap to 41-26. "We came out flat in the second half," said Morin. "[Williams] went on a run and we couldn't get it back." Despite effective jumpers from rookie forward Yasmine Harik with 12 minutes remaining, Amherst was unable to overtake the sizable Williams lead.
In the last few minutes the Jeffs turned over three loose balls, allowing the Ephs to build upon their already large advantage. Shooting 6-6 from the free-throw line in the waning minutes, Williams ran away with the win. "In the second half, [Williams] came out strong," said Latham. "They made some defense changes that we struggled to adjust to. They're a good team and we just didn't do quite what it took to get it done."
Latham and Reiff paced the Jeffs and each tallied seven points, while Latham grabbed six rebounds. Smith pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, as well as a pair of blocks. Williams' Maggie Miller and teammate Meghan O'Malley each added an impressive 17 points for the Ephs, while O'Malley grabbed 10 rebounds.
The post season loss to Williams marks the last game for the Jeffs' four seniors. "The game was really sad, especially for the seniors because we almost had [Williams]," said Morin. "Unfortunately, we dug ourselves a hole that we couldn't get out of." Morin ended her career with 594 points, 254 rebounds and an impressive 95 steals. Meanwhile, Latham amassed 777 total career points, which puts her second in scoring in recent Amherst history, behind former teammate Shannon Russell '04, who scored 1,345 points between 2000 and 2004. Julie Smith ended her career with an impressive 390 points and 387 rebounds, while Ali Flato added 196 points and 175 rebounds throughout the four years.
Despite a slow start to the season, the Jeffs worked hard to secure big wins against teams like Connecticut, Colby and Middlebury Colleges in the middle of the season. Despite the team's perserverance, flat starts seemed to plague the Jeffs, who ended with a record of 10-15, 4-5 in NESCAC play. "Overall, I think our team made some great strides this season and we definitely accomplished many of the goals that we set at the beginning of the year," Latham said. "I think we got a little bit better every game even though ultimately we came up a little short and that's really all you can ask for."
Despite losing the members of the class of 2006, the team will return some major players next season. Muller, the team's lone junior, will come back with strong playing experience, joined by powerful sophomores Reiff and Shaina Pollack. Added into the mix is fellow sophomore Anne-Claire Roesch, and the upperclassmen are a solid bunch. Also returning will be Harik, who led the first-year class with 89 total points and 120 rebounds this season. "There's a good core group of veterans coming back and the [first-years] will have a year of experience under their belt which will only help them be even better next year," said Latham. "I'm already looking forward to coming back and seeing them all!" With a positive attitude and a deep bench, the Jeffs will look for more success in the upcoming season.
NESCAC Notes
The top-seeded teams of the NESCAC quarterfinals will all continue to the next round of the conference playoffs this weekend. Top-ranked Bates College handily beat Colby College 65-44 on Saturday, while second-ranked Bowdoin College beat Tufts University 52-41. Meanwhile, Wesleyan University crushed Trinity College, 72-42. Williams' Meghan O'Malley, who played an impressive game against Amherst this past Saturday, was named the NESCAC Player of the Week after posting a double-double in the Eph victory.