Amherst, Mass. - Senior Bridget Crowley turned in a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as the No. 2-seeded Amherst College Lord Jeff women's basketball team cruised to an 80-34 victory over the No. 7-seeded Trinity College Bantams in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Quarterfinal action this afternoon at Amherst's LeFrak Gymnasium. Amherst improves to 24-1 and, by virtue of top-seeded Tufts' 60-54 loss to No. 8-seeded Bowdoin, the Lord Jeffs will host next weekend's championship rounds, beginning with a semifinal showdown with Bowdoin on Saturday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. Trinity completes its season with a 13-11 record, including defeats in its last six games.
Held without a field-goal over the final 11:16 of regulation, Trinity scored 12 points in the second half on two field goals and 10 free throws. The Bantams shot 18.9 percent (10-for-53) from the floor in the game. Junior forward Shantel Hanniford (Nantucket, Mass.) was the only Bantam in double figures, tallying 11 points and eight boards. Megan Robertson led all scorers with 22 points and seven rebounds, connecting on seven of her 11 shot attempts, while Jasmine Hardy finished with 14 points, knocking down 4-of-8 from long distance. Virginia Hassell and Savannah Holness combined for 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists off the bench. Dominating the glass, Amherst finished with a 54-33 rebounding edge, while holding an 11-5 advantage in second chance points and a 28-12 margin in points in the paint.
Amherst opened up a 10-2 lead with a Hardy three-pointer just over two and a half minutes after the opening whistle. Trinity pulled within five following a trey by sophomore forward Taylor Higgins (Merrick, N.Y.) at 12:15 of the first, but Amherst ripped off a 10-1 run and went up, 29-15, on a Robertson layup. Hanniford scored in the paint for the Bantams' first field-goal in five minutes, but the Jeffs responded with 15-0 run over the next 5:31 to build a 44-19 cushion. Ahead 49-22 at the break, Amherst pieced together another big run, outscoring Trinity 16-5 over the first 7:36 of the second half to take a 65-27 lead.