Women's Basketball Falls to Amherst, 57-55, in Pioneer Valley Hoop Classic Opener
SC-Amherst Box Score/Play-by-PlayWNEC-Westfield St. Box Score/Play-by-Play
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – December 1, 2006 – Sophomore forward Kerry O’Loughlin buried a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left, allowing the Amherst College women’s basketball team to erase a 12-point second-half deficit and defeat Springfield College, 57-55, tonight in the opening game of the 5th Annual Pioneer Valley Hoop Classic at SC’s Blake Arena.
With the win, Amherst’s record is now 2-3, while Springfield falls to 2-3. Tomorrow, in games already pre-determined, Amherst will take on Western New England College at 1 pm, while Springfield will face Westfield State at 3 pm.
This was a game of real ebbs and flows. The Lord Jeffs raced out to a 10-0 lead at the outset. When O’Loughlin, a 6-footer from Stow, Mass., made a lay-up with 7:30 left, Amherst had its largest lead of the game at 21-10.
But Springfield then proceeded to outscore Amherst, 17-0, beginning with three consecutive three-pointers, two by junior guard Tara McCarthy (Bristol, R.I.), and one by junior guard Christine Cotter (Stoughton, Mass.). When McCarthy made a lay-up with 4:54 left, the game was tied at 21-all. Sophomore forward Corey Finch (Hanover, Pa.) then made two consecutive buckets from in close, followed by two free throws by junior guard Katie Castignetti (Braintree, Mass.), and SC’s lead was 27-21 with 2:44 to go.
A three-point play by O’Loughlin cut the margin to three (27-24) with 2:22 to go. Later, SC attempted a miss-guided three-pointer with 10 seconds left, allowing senior guard Jenny Muller (Andover, Mass.) to hit a crucial three-pointer at the buzzer, which cut the margin to two, 29-27.
In the second half, the Pride slowly took control, eventually building a 12-point lead (49-37) with 11:28 left on another 3-pointer by McCarthy, her fourth of the game (tying a Pioneer Valley Hoop Classic record).
But from there-on, SC scored a mere six points the rest of the way. And Amherst stepped up its defensive pressure.
The comeback began with a Muller 3-pointer, making it 49-40. When SC sophomore forward/center Liz Brosseau (Franklin, Mass.) made a lay-up with 9:21 remaining, little did anyone know that would be the Pride’s last made field goal of the evening. When Finch made one free throw with 8:49 left, it was still a 10-point lead. And when Cotter made a free throw with 5:54 left, it was still an 8-point lead (53-45).
With 5:35 left, junior guard Shaina Pollack (Great Neck, N.Y.) made a lay-up to cut it to six (53-47). Freshman guard/forward Samantha Swensen (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) then made three straight free throws, one with 3:59 left and two with three minutes left. A Swenson jumper with 2:40 left cut it to one (53-52) with 2:40 left.
Cotter then made two free throws for the Pride, making it 55-52, with 2:31 left. Those were SC’s last points.
With 2:06 remaining, junior forward Stefanie Reiff (Hinsdale, Ill). hit a jumper, closing it to one, 55-54. Twice Amherst had opportunities to take the lead in the final minute, but twice it turned the ball over. By the same token, Amherst caused two shot clock violations in the same time span.
With 17 seconds left, Amherst re-gained control and worked the ball around until it went into the hands of O’Loughlin, who calmly swished the 3-pointer from the right-hand side with 5.9 seconds remaining. In the final moments, Cotter rushed the ball up the floor, but her running one-hander with two seconds left from just beyond the arc failed to hit iron.
Amherst was led by O’Loughlin’s 16 points and 8 rebounds. She was followed by Reiff with 13. For Springfield, McCarthy led with 19 points. The only other double-figure scorer was Cotter with 12. Finch topped all rebounders with 17. Sophomore center Lauren O’Connor (Valhalla, N.Y.) had 15 rebounds.
Neither team shot well, Amherst .356, SC .281 (including .219 in the second half).
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Head Coach Naomi Graves
Entering her 19th season as head coach in 2009-10, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 266-117 record (.695 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to eleven post-season bids in the past 14 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament in the past nine years.
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