WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The sixth-ranked Ephs of Williams College defeated Bridgewater State University in an out-of-conference women's basketball matchup on Tuesday evening by a score of 78-64.
Katie Litman came off the bench to lead the way for the Ephs (3-0) as she posted a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Litman shot 8-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-5 at the free throw line. Ellen Cook added 16 points, six assists, four steals and a pair of blocks, while MaryKate O'Brien chipped in with ten points.
Megan Boutilette paced the Bears (0-1) as she posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Elisha Homich added 15 points, five assists and three steals. Melissa Daigle came off the bench to notch nine points, three assists and three steals.
In a tightly contested first half, Williams held an eight-point lead (36-28) late in the stanza and looked to take a double-digit advantage into the intermission. Rachel Kusz, however, would deliver a three-pointer for the Bears to cap off the first half scoring and cut the deficit to 36-31.
The trifecta by Kusz would jumpstart a 12-4 BSU run that would tie the game up at 40-40 in the opening stages of the second half. A three-pointer by Homich and back-to-back layups by Boutilette and Homich would cap off the run.
Williams would respond with an 11-2 run to pull ahead 51-42.
Trailing by seven (60-53) later in the period, Homich drained a three-pointer to bring the Bears to within four. The Ephs, however, would score the next seven points to reopen a double-digit advantage (67-56) and ultimately put the game out of reach. The hosts would get up by as many as 16 points (76-60) before settling for the 78-64 victory.
Williams shot 53.7% (29-54) from the floor and held the advantage in points off turnovers (27-17), second chance points (14-4) and points in the paint (28-20). The Ephs' bench also outscored the BSU reserves, 39-18, thanks in large part to Litman's game-high 20 points.
In upcoming action, Bridgewater hosts the BSU Tip-Off Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Bears will face Johnson State College in the tournament semifinals on Friday evening at 5:30. The Ephs, who are ranked sixth in the USA Todays Coaches' Poll and 15th in the D3hoops.com Poll, take on Castleton State University on Saturday afternoon at one in their first away match.
Notes: The Ephs, who advanced all the way to the Division III Final Four last season, avenged a 61-60 loss to the Bears which occured a year ago in the championship game of the Williams Holiday Classic....Bridgewater received votes (39) in the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll.