The second half was much of the same, as the Panthers simply could not keep up. Voigt had a field day, as she exploded for a career-best 17 points to go along with her seven rebounds en route to helping Amherst stuff the stat sheet — a 46-33 edge on the glass, eight Amherst three-pointers made to Middlebury’s three attempted and 15 assists to the Panther’s three. The Jeffs’ scoring defense, one of the best in the country, prevailed again as the Amherst trounced the Panthers 79-46. McCormick and Stedman chipped in with 12 apiece, and Renner and Leyman poured in nine each.
Despite their success, the Jeffs head into this weekend’s NESCAC Tournament as the number one seed with nothing but hunger. “This year, with the exception of the new additions to the team, the majority of us have been to the Final Four, and we know what it takes both mentally and physically to compete on the national stage,” said McCormick. “Therefore, we will be better equipped in bigger games. In general, we just have to be sure to take one game at a time and if we come ready to play every night we should be prepared for the championship game in March.”
Only one other team, the Bates 2003-2004 women’s team, has ever had a perfect regular season in Division III. Their win streak was snapped in heart-breaking fashion at the National Championship Game. But, as Daigneault is quick to point out, “I believe the only thing that can beat us is ourselves, but if we keep working as hard as we have been and play the kind of basketball that got us this far, we will come out on top.”