Amherst Steals 55-53 Quarterfinal Victory from Wesleyan in Women's Basketball Quarterfinals
Courtesy Wesleyan Sports Information
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Amherst College junior Krissy Morin (Litchfield, N.H.) netted a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds left in regulation to give the fifth-seeded Amherst College women's basketball team its second-ever NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship victory, a 55-53 win at fourth-seeded Wesleyan University (20-4) on Saturday. Amherst improved to 15-10 with the win and moves on to face top-seeded host Bowdoin College next Saturday at 2 p.m.
Wesleyan took its biggest lead of the game right out of the gate, building an 8-0 advantage in the opening minutes. Amherst battled back and there would be nine lead changes before a 35-29 Wesleyan halftime edge. The Cardinals retained the lead until the 5:07-mark of the second half when Morin drilled a trifecta to give the Jeffs a 49-48 advantage. Four straight points from Amherst rookie forward Matia Kostakis (Andover, Mass.) down the stretch built a 53-50 edge, but Wesleyan senior Sue Frost (Colchester, Conn.) drained a three to knot the score with just 30 tics left.
After Morin's game-winning free throws, the Cardinals had a pair of chances to tie in the waning seconds, but senior Nora Bowman's (Guilford, Conn.) drive was stuffed by the Amherst defense, and junior Meghan Robinson's (Medfield, Mass.) nine-footer fell just short. This marks the Jeffs' first NESCAC Tournament victory since a 57-53 semifinal win over visiting Bates College on February, 23 2001.
Morin finished with 15 points to lead Amherst and rookie Stefanie Reiff (Hinsdale, Ill.) and sophomore Jenny Muller (Andover, Mass.) also tallied double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Kostakis chipped in eight points, a team-high 10 rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks.
Junior Hannah Stubbs (Arlington, Va.) paced Wesleyan with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Robinson and Bowman added 10 apiece and junior Ashley Mastrangelo (Marblehead, Mass.) had seven points and 11 boards.
