The Amherst women’s basketball team suffered its first home loss in 121 consecutive games this past Saturday afternoon, when talented NESCAC rival Tufts bested the squad.
The purple and white began the week of games with an impressive win over Bates, defeating the NESCAC opponent with a score of 63-44. Three Amherst players scored in double digits, exhibiting a strong depth in their offense, translating into the win. Meredith Doswell ’17 led with 12 points, sophomore Jackie Nagle put down 11 and last week’s NESCAC player of the week Hannah Hackley ’18 added 10. The win marked the team’s 121st consecutive win at LeFrak, which was a record dating all the way back to January of 2009.
The monumental streak came to an end the next day though, as the purple and white experienced the first loss of a previously undefeated season to Tufts in a heartbreaking 52-51 matchup. The squad was able to maintain the slightest lead until the fourth quarter, when the score leveled back and forth, until the Jumbos were able to capture and keep the one point lead that showed at the final buzzer.
Hackley led Amherst’s scoring with 15 and was crucial in the fourth quarter in keeping the score as close as it was with clutch foul shooting and smart, successful decisions on the floor. Meredith Doswell dominated the boards with 11 rebounds, and Hackley led the team in assists with two dishes. Junior Ali Doswell also exhibited a strong performance, contributing eight points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Jackie Nagle contributed nine points and six big rebounds.
Just before the final buzzer, Cheyenne Pritchard ’16 launched an attempt at saving the game, but unfortunately the shot fell short, and the purple and white felt the heaviness of the season’s first loss.
Though the LeFrak win streak has ended, the record was impressively the longest of its kind by any women’s basketball program, and is second only to the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball program which leads the category with 129 consecutive wins.
Up next, Amherst faces off against Middlebury for an away battle this Friday at 7 p.m.
