Worcester, Mass. - Amherst College, the
nation's No. 2 team, raced out to a 10-0 lead, made 10 of their
first 13 shots and had a 20 point lead less than ten minutes into
the contest as they improved to 13-0 with an impressive 87-44 win
over host Clark in women's basketball action at the Kneller
Athletic Center on Monday evening.
Paced by an efficient offensive attack (23 assists on 35 baskets)
that saw them place three players in double figures, the Lord Jeffs
lead by as many as 48 points midway through the second half.
Already one of the best defensive teams in the country, Amherst
held Clark to 30 percent shooting for the game (15-for-50),
recorded 19 steals and forced 26 turnovers which they converted
into 36 points.
The Lord Jeffs also ruled the interior, outrebounding the Cougars
45-38 and outscoring the hosts 32-14 in the paint.
With Amherst leading 51-23 at the start of the second half, they
embarked on an 18-1 run over the first 11 minutes of the second
half to push their lead to 72-24 with 8:45 left. Clark, which only
made six baskets in the second half, got its first second half hoop
via a three-pointer from freshman Theresa Pickens
(Worcester, Mass.) with 7:52 remaining.
One bright spot for the Cougars was the play of freshman
Kelsey Johnston (Shirley, Mass.), who finished
with a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-5 shooting
in 19 minutes. No other Clark player registered double figures,
although sophomores Ivori Aiken (Harlem, N.Y.) and
Kate Minister (Manchester, England) had nine
points each.
Shannon Finucane had 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first
half. She added four rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals to
her totals in 22 minutes. All-American Jaclyn Daigneault was a
perfect 6-for-6 from the field and tallied 12 points, while
sophomore Caroline Steadman ended with 12 points, three rebounds,
three assists and four steals.
Clark (3-10) looks to return to the win column when it returns to
NEWMAC action on Wednesday with a home contest against Smith, while
the Lord Jeffs face Wesleyan on Friday.
