Williams College's Claire Baecher '13 posted 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots as the Ephs shrugged off a slow start and defeated Hamilton College 57-35 in a NESCAC game at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Jan. 20.
Williams (15-2 overall, 4-1 NESCAC) won its sixth straight game. The Ephs were credited with 17 assists on 22 made field goals, and held a 40-32 rebounding advantage.
Ellen Cook '15 nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Williams. Cook also handed out five assists. Grace Rehnquist '13 scored all 11 of her points in the first half off the bench. Jennie Harding '13 grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and added seven points.
The Continentals (8-9, 1-5) didn't have any players score in double figures. Eliza Howe '13 had eight points and three steals. Madie Harlem '13, who scored her 1,000th career point in a win at Middlebury College on Friday night, ended up with seven points, four assists and four steals.
Hamilton grabbed a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the first half on a 3-pointer by Harlem and layups by Harlem and Samantha Graber '16. The Ephs roared back with a 13-2 run that put them in the lead for good. Baecher made a layup and Harding followed with a 3-pointer. Cook drained a trifecta, Rehnquist added a jumper and later made 1 of 2 free throws. A Katie Litman '16 jumper made it 13-9 with 12:36 left in the half. A basket by Howe were the lone points for the Continentals during that span.
A Harding layup gave Williams its first double-digit lead at 24-14 with 5:16 remaining. Rehnquist's 3-point play with 26 seconds left put the Ephs up 32-19, which was its largest lead of the half. Williams took that 13-point advantage into the locker room. The Ephs shot 46.4 percent (13-28) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Williams scored the first five points of the second half on a Cook 3-pointer and a basket by Danny Rainer '13, and Hamilton didn't get closer than 13 points the rest of the afternoon. The Ephs' largest lead was 25 points at 57-32 after a 3-point play by Luigia Goodman '14 with 59 seconds remaining. The Continentals shot 20 percent from the floor in the second half.
Williams shot 40.7 percent (22-54) for the game, including 6 of 14 from 3-point range. Hamilton shot 24.5 percent (12-49), including just 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.
The Continentals travel to Medaille College for a non-conference game on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The Ephs have a showdown at undefeated rival Amherst College on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
