For the second weekend in a row, the women’s basketball team achieved a program milestone by advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Jeffs demolished Becker College in the first round, and then barely edged out Bowdoin College on a game-winning three-pointer by guard Amanda Otieno ’09 to advance to the National quarterfinals. Though upperclassmen and first-years alike were new to the national stage, the Lord Jeffs played like seasoned pros, showing few nerves in picking up the two victories. The Jeffs started off the weekend with a massive 46-point win over Becker to begin their journey to the National Championship. Though Amherst cruised through the first match, the Jeffs’ next opponent, Bowdoin, nearly derailed Amherst’s run before the Jeffs barely slipped by the Polar Bears and into the Sweet 16. As the Jeffs continue to astonish the rest of Div. III basketball with their unprecedented success, the players themselves are trying to stay focused as they continue to live the dream. “Playing in the sectionals is the most amazing feeling,” said senior tri-captain Stefanie Reiff. “It’s almost dream-like. The turnaround from last year to this year and the fact that we’re setting records is incredible. I think we all are just loving it and living it to the fullest. I know that especially Shaina, Ace and myself are loving every moment of this postseason, seeing as this is our last. I could never have asked for a better way to end my basketball career. I feel so lucky.”

Against Becker, Amherst quickly jumped out to an early 10-point lead. Though Becker stayed within 10 points early in the game, by halftime Amherst led by 25 and the game was all but over. The Jeffs continued to extend their lead in the second half, which allowed the starting lineup to get some rest and gave the bench some valuable tournament experience. The contest ended with a final score of 78-32. Senior tri-captains Anne-Claire Roesch and Shaina Pollack led the Jeffs in scoring in the first half, tallying eight and nine points, respectively. Rookie forward Jaclyn Daigneault chipped in 10 points and three steals on the game, while fellow first-year Courtney Long added eight points and two assists.

The Jeffs put their adrenaline to good use. “Before the game we all acknowledged that we were jittery since it was our first NCAA game, but after a few minutes of play everyone was able to settle down and play our game,” Reiff explained. “I think everyone was more nervous playing Bowdoin the next day because we have more history with Bowdoin and because their program has such a great history and record in the NCAA Tournament. We just had to work through our nervousness and keep playing our game.”

The team had little time to relish in their victory, as they were slated to play Bowdoin the next day in the second round of the National Tournament. The match would be the third time this season that the two teams faced each other. The NESCAC rivals had split the first two meetings; though Amherst had defeated the Polar Bears the previous weekend by 24 points, the Jeffs knew that Bowdoin’s established history in the NCAA Tournament would make for a tough game.

For the first time in quite a while, the Jeffs found themselves trailing their opponent early in the first half, and they headed to the locker rooms facing a six-point deficit. The Polar Bears started the game with the same type of defensive pressure that Amherst fans are used to seeing from the Jeffs, as they held Amherst to just 26-percent shooting from the floor. The Jeffs responded in the second stanza, using a 12-3 run to take the lead, 47-46, with about 11 minutes to go in the game. The two teams traded points and were tied, 58-58, when Otieno stepped up to the arc and drained a three with just 48.5 seconds left. Though Bowdoin quickly responded and cut the Amherst lead to one point, the Polar Bears squandered two chances to win the game, giving the Jeffs the victory and sending them to the Sweet 16.

“It was all about defense in the second half,” said Otieno. “We just had to play the defense we usually do, and our shots would fall, and we would go on our run.” Pollack once again showcased her leadership skills, running the show from the point and still managing to pick up a new career-high in points—for the second time in two weekends—with 23. Reiff added 10 points of her own, and junior forward Yasmine Harik used her usual aggression on defense to grab a game-high 11 rebounds and notch three steals.

Along with the victories, several individuals also garnered All-NESCAC honors. Pollack, who averaged 4.89 assists and 11.2 points-per-game in NESCAC play, nabbed a spot on the All-NESCAC First-Team, while Reiff, who leads the Jeffs in scoring with 12.6 points-per-game, was named to the Second Team. Head Coach G.P. Gromacki was also honored for his terrific leadership and coaching as he was named co-Coach of the Year for the Conference.

The Jeffs will travel to Wisconsin to continue NCAA Tournament play. The next couple of days will be crucial to maintaining the players’ confidence in themselves. “Its crazy. Every morning I wake up, and Yas [Yasmine Harik] and Stacey [Brossy] are my neighbors,” said Otieno. “We all look at each other and just say it out loud: we are going to Nationals, this is crazy.”