First-year Ali Doswell led the women’s basketball team to another NESCAC win as the Jeffs took on Colby in Maine last Friday night. The 67-44 victory was Amherst’s 13th-straight win over the Mules.

Doswell led all scorers with 17 points on 6 of 15 shooting and collected a career-high 13 rebounds, while also matching her personal best with six assists. Ali’s twin sister Meredith Doswell ’17 also tied a career-high with eight boards and chipped in 13 points. Jaimie Renner ’17 was the only other Jeff in double figures, finishing with 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 showing from the free throw line.

The Jeffs got off to a fast start as Renner scored the game’s first six points. Desi Smith of Colby put the Mules on the board with a solid three-point play at the 17:15 mark of the first half, and moments later, Jen Nale converted from long distance to pull the Mules even.

Up 14 at the intermission, Amherst opened the second half with a 7-1 run to build a 40-20 lead. Colby converted four-straight from the free throw line to reduce the margin, but an Ali Doswell layup at 14:28 sparked a 9-2 Jeff spurt that made the score 49-26. Seven-straight Mule points allowed Colby to get back within 16, but Meredith Doswell had the game’s next five, extending the lead to 21 with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation. For every Mule run, the Doswells had an answer.

“The Colby game was a good team win,” said Ali Doswell. “The special thing about our team is that we have different people that step up for each game. I just happened to play well that game and fed off of other people playing well. We have three home games left in the regular season and then we begin tournament play. Hopefully if we keep working hard and fix a few little things, then we can make a great postseason run.”

On the other side of the ball, Amherst played stifling defense, holding the Mules shot just 21.8 percent (12-of-55) from the floor and 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from three-point range. Colby turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 12 Amherst points. Holding a 47-37 rebounding advantage, the Jeffs outscored Colby 20-6 in the paint and 12-2 in second chance points. The purple & white reserves also held the upper hand over their Mule counterparts, finishing the game with a 21-10 scoring edge.

On Saturday, the Jeffs continued their Maine road trip as they traveled to Brunswick to take on the Polar Bears of Bowdoin. The Jeffs 65-57 victory gave them a 6-1 record in the NESCAC and 19-2 overall.

Marley Giddins ’16 netted a team-high 14 points with eight rebounds, while Renner contributed a solid all-around effort, finishing with 13 points, five boards and five assists. Savannah Holness ’15 and Meredith Doswell each added 12 points, while Holness also matched a career-high of 11 rebounds. Ali Doswell was the only other Jeff in double digits, scoring 11 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

Behind 30-28 at the intermission, Shannon Brady of Bowdoin opened the second half with a layup to even the score. Giddins responded with a jumper on the other end, but six-straight Bowdoin points gave the Polar Bears a 36-32 edge just over five minutes into the second half.

Refusing to back down, Amherst pieced together a 19-5 stretch over a span of six minutes and eleven seconds, tying the game at the 12-minute mark. Hannah Peterson ’17 later broke the deadlock with a three-pointer before a pair of Meredith Doswell free throws increased the margin.

With Bowdoin shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) in the first half, including 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from three-point range, the Amherst defense stiffened over the final 20 minutes, holding the Polar Bears to just 31.3 percent shooting (10-of-32) in the second and an 0-for-7 showing from behind the arc.

The Jeffs will host Connecticut College in LeFrak on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.