AMHERST — The Amherst College women’s basketball team bounced back from an overtime loss to top-ranked Tufts with a convincing 63-40 win against the rival Williams, Wednesday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.
The fifth-ranked Mammoths relied on their starters to get the job done, with four of the five scoring at least 10 points each, and all of them playing over 30 minutes.
“They were in a groove, so I wasn’t going to mix the starters up,” coach G.P. Gromacki said. “When things are going well, you don’t make too many changes.”
Hannah Fox led the way with team-highs of 15 points and nine rebounds for Amherst (16-2, 3-1 NESCAC), which outrebounded the Ephs 39-23.
Madeline Eck contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Amherst got off to a strong start, shooting 9 of 13 from the floor in the first quarter, while holding Williams to 3 of 17. The Mammoths led 19-7 after the first quarter.
“It was really important for us to get off to a hot start,” Gromacki said. “We played really excellent in the first and the third quarters, as well as we’ve played all year long, so I was really impressed.”
The Ephs played the Mammoths evenly in the second quarter. A Maggie Meehan buzzer-beater from half court kept the deficit at 30-18 entering the break.
“We just can’t relax. We have to play a full 40 minutes,” Gromacki said. “I think we let down a little bit in that second quarter. They hit the lucky shot, obviously.”
Amherst dominated the third quarter, holding Williams to four points on 2 of 12 shooting and taking a 52-22 lead into the fourth. The Mammoths didn’t take many shots, but they made them count, going 6 of 11 from the field in the frame.
“We’re going to continue harping on defense and boxing out,” Gromacki said. “I think that’s an area where we improved today.”
Maggie Shipley finished with 12 points, while Cam Hendricks added 11 points and five rebounds for the Mammoths.
Amherst will be traveling to play Hamilton (11-6, 1-3 NESCAC) on Saturday.