Jeffs Foul-Shoot Their Way to 65-59 Win

Sullivan '00 nets game-high 27 in 25 minutes to lift Jeffs over host Babson

WELLESLEY, Mass. - Behind senior Co-captain Naomi Sullivan (Hudson, MA), who netted a game-high 27 points despite foul trouble that limited her to 25 minutes, the women's basketball team earned a hard-fought road victory on Thursday night, holding off a late Babson College run to defeat the Beavers, 65-59.
Playing without injured Co-captain Liza Feldman (Sudbury, MA), the Jeffs jumped out to a 20-6 lead on Babson, with Sullivan leading the way, scoring 12 of the Jeffs' first 18 points. But thanks to foul trouble which saw Sullivan and freshman forward Sarah Walker (West Hartford, CT) spend most of the first half on the bench, the Beavers made a comeback, behind sophomore guard Kerri Lally (Winthrop, MA), who would finish the game with a team-high 16 points. Babson pulled within six by halftime, and finally tied the game at 41 midway through the second half.
The Jeffs, however, were not to be outdone. Behind stellar play from the first-year duo of guards Sara Bozorg (Amherst, MA) and Sally Hamill (Scituate, MA), and an impressive all-around effort from junior Charlotte Taylor (Harvard, MA), in only her second career start, the visitors fought back. Bozorg nailed a pair of free throws and Hamill connected for one of her two three-pointers for the game as the Jeffs retook the lead, pulling out to a 48-47 advantage with seven minutes remaining.
From there, the game turned into a foul-shooting contest, with the Jeffs scoring their last 17 points from the charity stripe as Babson tried to cut into the Amherst lead. But the Jeffs were consistent from the foul line, as Bozorg connected on all six of her attempts, Walker connected on six of eight, and Sullivan sank nine of 13, including three down the stretch, to put the game away. For the game, the visitors finished 22 of 31 from the line, while Babson connected on only nine of their 17 attempts.
Sullivan's 27 points, her second-highest single-game total, led all scorers, while Hamill and Taylor each finished with nine points. Taylor also finished with career-highs in rebounds (nine) and steals (four), as the Amherst defense held freshman Babson center Pia Bertone-Gross (Agawam, MA) to 10 points before fouling out late in the second half.
With the win, the Jeffs improve to 6-4 heading into Saturday's showdown at home against arch-rival Williams College, a 6:00 p.m. start in LeFrak Gymnasium. Babson, who defeated Williams 83-73 on December 11, heads out on the road this weekend, traveling to Lewiston, Maine to battle Bates College on Saturday afternoon.

 
Amherst (5-4)

      
29

      
36

      
--

      
65
Babson (7-4)

      
23

      
36

      
--

      
59

Amherst (65) Sullivan 9-14 9-13 27, Taylor 4-10 0-0 9, Hamill 3-13 1-2 9, Bozorg 0-1 6-6 6, Walker 0-4 6-8 6, Ouimet 1-3 0-0 3, Putnam 1-5 0-0 3, Coscarelli 1-3 0-2 2

Babson (59) Lally 6-9 3-6 16, Leahy 5-9 2-2 12, Bertone-Gross 5-11 0-0 10, Conroy 2-7 3-5 7, Miller 2-4 0-2 4, Eddy 1-8 0-0 3, Knauf 1-4 1-2 3, Botticelli 1-7 0-0 2, Dawicki 1-2 0-0 2

3-point goals - Amherst 5-16 (Hamill 2-9, Putnam 1-1, Ouimet 1-1, Taylor 1-4), Babson 2-10 (Lally 1-1, Eddy 1-3, Botticelli 0-4, Knauf 0-2). Fouled Out - B Bertone-Gross. Rebounds - Amherst 40 (Taylor 9), Babson 38 (Miller 9). Assists - Amherst 11 (Bozorg 5), Babson 12 (Knauf 4). Total fouls - Amherst 18, Babson 21. Technicals - B Bertone-Gross. Attendance - 143.