Amherst Ends Saints' Season In NCAA 2nd Round Game

The Amherst College women's basketball team earned a 76-37 win over Emmanuel College on Saturday evening in LeFrak Gymnasium in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With this win, the Lord Jeffs improve to 27-2 on the year and advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, while the Saints' impressive season comes to a close at 22-8.

After an exciting 55-49 win over the University of Southern Maine in the NCAA opening round on Friday night, the Saints struggled to keep up with the host Lord Jeffs.  Amherst held a solid lead throughout the contest and came away with the deciding 39-point victory.  This is the Lord Jeffs second-straight appearance in the Round of 16. Their next opponent, game time and game location have yet to be determined. In last year's Round of 16, Amherst suffered a 68-63 loss to DePauw University, marking the best finish in program history (27-3).

Physical play and tough defense defined the opening period. With the Saints trailing by three early in the first half, sophomore forward Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) nailed a long ball from the corner that evened out the score. Seconds later Amherst first-year Lem Atenga McCormick (Chicago, IL) reeled in a fast break outlet pass, scored the ensuing bucket and drew a foul. This three-point play set the Jeff lead to four points just six minutes into the period.

First-year Caroline Stedman (Walpole, MA) got on the board with a three-pointer at the 11-minute mark, increasing the Jeffs' lead to nine. Classmate Kim Fiorentino (Holmdel, NJ) hit a trey of her own with 5:20 left in the half, setting the Jeff lead to 12 points, 25-13.

The Saints' defense could not contain Atenga McCormick as she had 13 first-half points while shooting 6-for-9 from the field. Rounding out the Jeffs' first-half scoring were senior Amanda Otieno (Gloucester, MA) and first-year Shannon Finucane (Cortland, NY), who each added six to put Amherst ahead by 21 at the close of the period, 37-16.

Emmanuel approached the second half aggressively by attacking the basket in the opening seconds of the period and getting a quick lay-up from junior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.). Amherst answered with a long three-pointer from Fiiorentino, stretching the lead to 26 (45-19) only three minutes into the period.

Despite a game-high 18-point, 9-rebounds effort from Davis, who shot an impressive 8-for-10 from the line, Emmanuel was not able to close the gap and stop the Lord Jeff scoring attack. Atanga McCormick was the high scorer for the Jeffs with 17 points and six rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 from the field. Sophomore Courtney Long (Norwich, Conn.) and Jaci Daigneault (Guilford, Conn.) each scored 11 for the Jeffs and Finucane added a quiet 10.

Fiorentino finished with six points, five assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals in a solid all-around effort. Otieno added four assists, while Stedman and Long each had three. Stedman added four steals in only 17 minutes of action.

Amherst shot 52.7 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe, while Emmanuel was held to 22 percent from the floor and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

 

(Courtesy of Amherst College Sports Information)