WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—After two straight games of poor shooting, Ellen Cook broke out in about the biggest way possible on Monday evening.
Williams' senior co-captain shot 80% from the field and scored a career-high 33 points in just 31 minutes, pulling the Ephs (10-1) to a 78-59 victory over UMass-Dartmouth (7-3, 1-0 Little East). The loss was the second straight for the Corsairs, who had previously lost games by minuscule margins of 1 and 3 points.
Cook's sterling effort was not merely spectacular; it was historic. By knocking down her final basket of the evening, a corner three with just over five minutes left in the game, Cook became just the 16th Eph in Williams women's basketball history to reach the 1,000 point plateau for her career, and the first since Claire Baecher '13 reached the milestone two years ago.
Her output also left her just three points short of Williams' single-game scoring record, set by Melissa Skeffington in February 2002 against Connecticut College. "I had no idea that she had that many," said Williams coach Pat Manning after the game. "I would have kept her in there."
There is some weather- and temperature-related irony here. Beneath the sunny skies of temperate Puerto Rico, where the Williams women's basketball team played a pair of non-conference games just before Christmas, Cook was cold as can be, shooting-wise: a paltry 6-29 from the field, good for just 20 points. Tonight, a ferocious wind chill sent game-time temperatures in Williamstown plunging toward zero. But inside Chandler Gym—and there really is no other way to say this—Cook was on fire, her shooting woes apparently left down south.
Not that you would have known it if you weren't watching closely. Even as the game wound down and the Eph lead widened, Cook looked to pass first, then shoot. "She's the epitome of a team player," said Manning.
Early on, Cook was not the only one scoring: both teams put up points aplenty in the game's opening 20 minutes, albeit via different means. The Corsairs showed the Ephs multiple defensive looks forced 10 first-half turnovers while committing just three of their own. Offensively, they shot right at their season average 41% from the field but frequently outmaneuvered Williams to offensive rebounds, extending possessions and eventually finding the hoop with a parcel of midrange jumpers and cutting drives.
Of all the Corsair scorers, it was reserve Alicia Kutil who proved the biggest threat, especially early on. The freshman forward scored 12 points in an eight-minute span, staking the Corsairs to multiple slim leads and proving a force in the paint.
By contrast, the Ephs combated their technical woes by turning in their best shooting half of the season, starting seven-of-nine from the floor and 59% overall. For this, they relied primarily on Cook and Amanni Fernandez, who combined to go 9-12 from the field (including 4-5 from three-point range) for 25 of Williams' 41 points.
Mostly, they relied on Cook. At times, it seemed that she could do no wrong. An awkward three-point attempt on which she barely had time to plant her feet, a garbage-cleanup drive to the basket following a blocked shot, an open look from corner—swish, swish, swish. Still, the Ephs led by just 41-38 at halftime. "We just needed to push [the pace] more," said Manning. "We were playing slowdown. We were sloppy."
Out of the break, Beth Castantini drilled a three to pull the Corsairs even for what proved to be the final time, as Williams pulled away quickly thereafter. Just as they did in the first half, the Ephs began the period by making seven of their first nine baskets, this time using the run to build their lead to double digits. At the forefront of the attack was Cook, who punctuated the attack with consecutive layups enabled by incisive passes from Fernandez, who finished with a career-high seven assists.
Both teams face conference opponents next. The Corsairs return home to face Western Connecticut on Thursday evening, while the Ephs head south to Hartford to take on Trinity College at 7 pm on Friday evening.