The second-seeded Amherst women’s basketball team found an easy victory over Hamilton this past weekend in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. With the win, the Jeffs improved their home win streak to 98 games.
Amherst held Hamilton to a 22.9 percent shooting average, while they shot an impressive 57.1 percent, including 15 three pointers.
Ali Doswell ’17 led way with 15 points, while three other Jeffs joined her in double-figures. First-years Hannah Peterson, Jaimie Renner and Meredith Doswell each tallied 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively. Hamilton’s Dani Feigin ’14 led the visitors with nine points.
Although the Jeffs got off to a slow start, they quickly turned things around and took control of the game by the 13th minute, claiming a double-digit lead. Amherst ended the first half on a 11-0 run, putting them up 32-15 going into halftime.
Opening the second half much like the first ended, Amherst held the Continentals to a scoreless six minutes midway through the half. The Jeffs would go on to outscore Hamilton 46-18 in the second half’s 20 minutes, ending the game 78-33.
“Our first NESCAC tournament win was great for us because we really got a flow playing together,” said co-captain Cheyenne Pritchard ’16.
“We were shooting well, switching the ball, and running the floor. We will continue to practice hard until the season is over. It’s do or die now, so every game has a whole new level of urgency. We’re just really excited to take one step closer to our ultimate goal: a championship.”
Amherst will face a tough Bowdoin squad in the NESCAC Semifinals. In their only regular season matchup of the year, the Jeffs beat the then 20th ranked Polar Bears 65-57. Amherst received double-digit point tallies from five different players, and utilized their balanced attack to overcome a 30-28 halftime deficit.
The Jeffs struggled to control Bowdoin’s offense in the first half allowing the Polar Bears to shoot 47.8% from the field before stifling them in the second half. The Jeffs will look to shut down Sara Binkhorst who led all scorers in the two team’s first matchup with 19 points.
The Jeffs will look to win their 5th straight NESCAC tournament as they face off against the Polar Bears at 4pm at Tufts.
