There will be no surprise teams joining the Jumbos in the semifinals of the women's basketball NESCAC Tournament, as the favorites in the other three first-round games all picked up victories Saturday afternoon. A look at how each team fared:
No. 1 Amherst 83, No. 8 Colby 53: The Jeffs earned their first conference tournament victory since 2005 with a 30-point drubbing of eighth-seeded Colby, Amherst's largest win over a NESCAC team since Jan. 21, 2006. Boasting the highest-scoring offense in the conference, the Jeffs crossed the 80-point plateau for the seventh time this season by shooting a lights-out 57.7 percent from the floor. Amherst received a game-high 24 points from senior tri-captain Stefanie Reiff, 16 of which came in the first half.
No. 3 Wesleyan 68, No. 6 Williams 49: One week after downing the Ephs by 18 points in their regular season finale, the Cardinals dealt Williams another setback on Saturday for their fourth opening-round victory since 2003. The loss gave the Ephs - the only team to have beaten top-seeded Amherst and second-seeded Tufts this season - their earliest exit from the NESCAC Tournament since 2001. Wesleyan senior tri-captain Lucy Sprung, the second-leading scorer in the conference, led the way with her ninth double-double of the season, posting 18 points and 12 rebounds.
No. 4 Bowdoin 55, No. 5 Bates 51: Two teams that met in every conference title game from 2003 to 2006 added another chapter to their rivalry Saturday, when the Polar Bears recorded a come-from-behind victory over the Bobcats in Brunswick, Maine. Seven-time defending NESCAC champion Bowdoin, now 21-0 all-time in conference tournament history, overcame a seven-point halftime deficit with a 15-6 run midway through the second half that gave the team the lead for good.
With Polar Bears junior co-captain Jill Anelauskas still hampered by an injury that limited her during the final weekend of the regular season, freshman guard Katie Bergeron took over, knocking down a school-record six three-pointers as part of a 24-point, six-rebound effort.
