The women’s basketball team ended the fall semester on a high note, with three solid wins over Skidmore College, Clark University and Pioneer Valley rival Smith College. With the victories, they closed the month of December with a 9-0 record, the team’s best start in 10 years. The Jeffs then cruised through January, after a short layoff, picking up eight more wins to improve their record to 17-0 and earning a ranking of 16th in the nation. The Jeffs suffered a heartbreaking setback when they lost for the first time this season last Saturday to the arch-rival Ephs of Williams College, just two days before the beginning of the new semester.
The Jeffs rode their defense to end the fall semester, winning their final three games of 2007, against Clark, Skidmore and Smith, by a combined 86 points. “Against both Clark and Skidmore, our defense was great,” said junior forward Yasmine Harik. “We held those teams to approximately 50 and 40 points respectively, and we contained their top scorers. In other words, we didn’t really let either team get into a rhythm and we kept the pace of the game how we wanted it.”
At the start of 2008, the Jeffs traveled down south to compete in the Florida Sunshine Shootout Tournament. The first game of the tournament proved to be the toughest test yet for the undefeated Jeffs. Though Amherst led Saint Norbert College 43-29 at halftime, a second half drought from the Amherst shooters allowed their opponents back into the game. But the Jeffs held on for the win, led by captain and forward Stefanie Reiff ’08, who tallied 19 points and eight rebounds on the night.
The second and final contest of the Jeffs’ stint in Florida was not an easy victory either. Though Amherst led by a whopping 19 points over the opposing Endicott Gulls early in the second half, they failed to shut down the Gulls’ offense and Endicott eventually took the lead late in the second stanza. The Jeffs looked as though they would suffer their first defeat, but sophomore forward Samantha Swensen stepped behind the three-point line to drain her first three-point attempt of the season and give Amherst a two-point edge as the buzzer sounded. Though the Jeffs came away with a win, the team acknowledged that they would have to make improvements if they wanted to remain undefeated. “As a team, we just need to take care of the ball a little better,” said Harik. “Everybody needs to make a collective effort to limit turnovers so that we become even more effective on offense, instead of coming up empty-handed on certain possessions.”
The following few weeks would feature seven more Amherst wins, including a close contest with rival Williams that would be the team’s first victory over the Ephs since 2001. That victory, along with the undefeated record, made the Jeffs confident entering their second match of the season against the Ephs. Though the Jeffs took a nine-point lead into the break, the second half brought a flurry of excellent defensive play and sharp shooting from Williams. With about six minutes left of play, the Ephs took the lead and finished the game strong, handing Amherst its first loss of the season.
Though Amherst led in both rebounds and steals, the team shot a dismal 20 percent from the field. Rookie center Sarah Leyman put in a veteran-like performance, notching the first double-double of her college career, and led the team in both points and rebounds. Despite the loss, the Jeffs remain positive, choosing to focus on the lessons learned. “The team chemistry is great!” said Harik. “We’re playing well, working hard together and everybody is enjoying our success.”