The second-ranked Jeffs laced up against Farleigh Dickinson University in the second annual Tip-Off Tournament for their season opener and immediately shed any doubts about this year’s squad. The team scored on five of its first six possessions, including four consecutive three pointers by sophomores Shannon Finucane, Caroline Stedman and Kim Fiorentino, putting the Jeffs up 14-6. The torrent of threes continued through the first half as the team went on to outscore Farleigh Dickson 24-22 on three pointers alone, going 8 for 18 from behind the arc en route to a 58-22 lead at the half.
The wide scoring margin allowed head coach G.P. Gromacki to rest his starters and provide playing time for his reserves and first-year players in the second half, as 10 different players scored. All five starters had eight points apiece in the win, while reserves Bridget Crowley ’13, Lem Atanga McCormick ’12 and Kristyn Dunleavy ’11 chipped in with double digit scoring also in the 80-37 rout.
In the tournament’s championship game, the Jeffs faced stiffer competition in the Western Connecticut State University’s Colonials. The score went back and forth for much of the first few minutes, with the teams trading baskets off of sloppy possessions. The Jeffs eventually gained a 14-13 lead at the 13:43 mark on a three by Stedman, but it was a three-pointer by fellow Finucane that put the team up for good, 19-17, at the 10:38 mark. Guard Stedman’s three just before halftime put the Jeffs up 42-29.
With three of the Colonials’ starters starting the second half on the bench with three fouls apiece, the Jeffs seized an opportunity to stretch the lead to 20, where it hovered for the remainder of the game. Stedman and junior co-captain Jaci Daigneault paced the team with 19 points each, while shooting a combined a 16 for 26 from the field, and sophomore Jackie Renner poured in 12 points off the bench in the 85-71 win. Stedman and Daigneault also earned All-Tournament honors for their performances in the two games, and Daigneault took home the tournament M.V.P. award. The Jeffs traveled to Mt. Holyoke for their third game of the season, where they put on a dominating performance and made a strong case for the number one seed in D3hoops.com’s national rankings.
The team came out firing on all cylinders as Florentino quickly put them ahead 6-0 on back-to-back three pointers, followed by a steady stream of layups for Daigneault, Stedman and junior co-captain Sarah Leyman which left the Jeffs in front 12-0. The Jeffs’ defense completely dismantled the Lyons’ attack, as Mt. Holyoke did not score until the 15:27 mark and ended the half with a paltry eight points to Amherst’s 44.
To their credit, the Lyons came out fighting in the second half, only being outscored 9-6 in the first seven minutes. But down the stretch, the Lyons faded into a 71-24 drubbing after being held to a pedestrian 13.6 percent shooting for the game. Gromacki once again tapped the team’s formidable depth, as 10 different players scored for the Jeffs.
After top-ranked Washington University dropped a game, the Jeffs look primed for the program’s first-ever number one ranking in the D3hoops.com poll. However, the poll voters stalled Amherst at the number two spot heading into their matchup Tuesday night against Keene State College. And the Jeffs responded with quite the message: a 72-47 clobbering of previously 4-0 Keene State College.
Keene State came into the game ranked 22nd on the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll, but quickly lost some of that luster inside the LeFrak Gymnasium. The teams stayed neck-and-neck for much of the first half — that is until sophomore Jackie Renner got back-to-back scores on a fast break and backdoor cut, putting Amherst up 19-16 with 7:26 to play. Amherst used a series of miscues by the Owls to spark a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, fueled by three pointers from Renner and Kristyn Dunleavy ’11. By halftime, the lead had swelled to 39-24 behind nine points from Renner and McCormick.
For the second half, the Owls came out in a two-three zone that stifled the Jeffs offense for more than seven minutes, and allowed the Owls to pull to 43-32. After Dunleavy’s jumper ended the scoreless stretch, Atanga McCormick caught fire, scoring seven straight points for the Jeffs and helping to open up a 54-38 lead. The Jeffs closed out the game with seven unanswered to pull out the 72-47 victory. McCormick tied her career-high with 22 points, shooting 9 for 10 from the field.
As for the ranking, it seems the Jeffs could care less: “We don’t place a lot of value in numbers like that. We know that what is important is what we do on the court and what other people think is not as important,” said Leyman, “Everyone likes making history, but in the end it’s our play that matters … a high ranking doesn’t win games.”
The team will play RPI on Friday at home to kick off the 2009 Amherst Classic.