AMHERST, MA – The undefeated Amherst College women's basketball team hosted 5-1 Skidmore College this afternoon in non-conference action in LeFrak Gymnasium. The Lord Jeffs finished the game with a 68-42 victory riding a solid performance from a number of different players.
Amherst jumped out to an early 12-4 in just over three minutes of action on 10 quick points from senior tri-captain Stefanie Reiff (Hinsdale, IL). The Thoroughbreds responded with a run of their own to close the gap to 14-13.
In a half of scoring streaks, the Lord Jeffs went on an 8-0 run to stretch the lead back out to 22-13. During that run, senior tri-captain Shaina Pollack (Great Neck, NY) dished out a pair of assists en route to her half-dozen for the half.
Amherst finished the first half shooting near 50% from the field, despite going 1-for-7 from three point range. Reiff led all scorers at the break with 14 points and five rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting.
Skidmore's Laurel Brown led the T-Breds with seven first half points on 3-of-5 shooting, while picking up one of her team's three first half helpers. The Jeffs went to the locker room with a 32-22 lead, looking to pull away.
Amherst exploded in the second half and played lock-down defense to close out the game. Sophomore center Sam Swensen (Rockaway Park, NY) capped an impressive week with 13 second half points to bring her total to a game-high 18. The reigning NESCAC Player of the Week made another strong case for a repeat honor after dropping a career-high 25 in Amherst's mid-week win over Clark University.
Reiff completed the one-two scoring punch for Amherst and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds to just miss a double-double. The Lord Jeffs saw a strong contribution from junior Yasmine Harik (New York, NY), who grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, five on each end, and scored six points.
Pollack dished out a game-high nine assists to tie her career high and grabbed five steals to go alongside five points. Skidmore's Laurel Michel paced the Thoroughbreds with eight points, as the Lord Jeff defense would not allow a single player into double-digit scoring.
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