Amherst women return to final four
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AMHERST - Thirty-one straight wins is still two short of the goal for the Amherst College women's basketball team.
The top-ranked Jeffs (31-0) advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament national final four for the second straight year with an 80-65 victory over Babson College at LeFrak Gymnasium on Saturday night.
That win sets up a rematch Friday between Amherst and Washington University-St. Louis, which defeated the Jeffs 65-49 in last year's national semifinals. This year's final four will be played in Bloomington, Ill.
"We're all excited," said Amherst coach G.P. Gromacki after Saturday's victory in the sectional final. "This is a great accomplishment. But we're not finished yet. Our goal is to win a national championship."
Saturday's game attended by 1,498 fans matched two teams which together had won 50 straight games.
The Jeffs, champions of the New England Small College Athletic Conference, have not been defeated since losing twice at the final four last March.
The Beavers (28-4), had their best season ever as the top team in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference and had not lost since Jan. 4.
Both teams were coming off difficult wins Friday night. Amherst faced its sternest test of the season, overcoming a 15-point second-half deficit before beating Williams 71-66, while Babson needed overtime to overcome Gettysburg 71-68.
The tone was set early Saturday as the Beavers tried to take advantage of their size by working the ball inside, while the quicker, deeper Jeffs unleashed their balanced attack.
After a jumper in the paint by Nicole Wurdeman (14 points) gave Babson a 2-0 lead, Amherst countered with 3-pointers by Caroline Stedman (11 points) and Lem Atanga McCormick (team-high 15 points)
The Beavers took their largest lead at 14-10 when Kathleen King (game-high 27 points) scored in the paint with 10 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the first half.
Neither team led by more than four points until Kristyn Dunleavy (11 points) hit a 3-pointer from the right side to give Amherst a 23-18 lead with 7:10 left.
After the Jeffs built their lead to 12 points with less than four minutes to play, King scored the last eight points of the half for Babson, countered only by a 3-pointer by Marcia Voigt (13 points). That left Amherst ahead 39-32 at the break.
"One of the things we wanted to do is crash the boards more," Gromacki said he told his team at halftime. "When Caroline Stedman grabbed that offensive rebound early in the second half, it set the tone for the rest of the team."
Stedman fed Atanga McCormick for a basket that pushed the Amherst lead to 41-32.
The Beavers never got closer than three points in the second half, and the Jeffs' relentless defense finally wore them down. Once Amherst's lead peaked at 15 on another 3-pointer by Voigt with 6:22 remaining, Babson never mounted another serious threat.
The Jeffs had a 36-34 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive boards, collected 19 steals and forced 23 turnovers overall.
Still Gromacki said his team did not play a complete game on defense.
"We didn't have pressure for 40 minutes," he said. "When we turned up the pressure, we turned the game around. That's happened all year long with big play after big play."
Babson outscored Amherst 40-28 in the paint.
But the Jeffs countered with five players in double figures, and six hit 3-pointers. Overall, Amherst finished 11-of-28 (39 percent) from behind the arc, while the Beavers were 0-for-4.
"With five people in double figures, you can't zero in on any particular person," said sophomore point guard Shannon Finucane, who scored 11, and added six steals, three assists and three rebounds. "So many people step up and score - it's very impressive."
The Jeffs are now back where they wanted to be, and they figure that last year's experience will be beneficial despite the two losses.
"You never want to say we weren't focused last year, but it's definitely different having been there," said junior cocaptain Sarah Leyman, who played the full 40 minutes Saturday and combined her trademark hard-nosed defense with eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.
"It feels great," she added. Ever since this time last year when we went (to the final four and lost twice), we've worked so hard to get back. We've had this fire."
Gromacki said, "It doesn't matter who we play, but we'd all like to get another crack at Washington U."
That will now happen. Later Saturday night, the sixth-ranked Bears (27-2) beat defending Division III champion George Fox University 59-52 in St. Louis. That avenged Washington University's 60-53 loss to the Bruins in last year's national championship game.
Friday's other semifinal matches No. 4 Hope (31-1) against unranked Rochester (23-6). Friday's game times have not yet been set.
The winners will play for the national championship at 3 p.m. Saturday. The losers will meet for third place at noon Saturday.
The Jeffs know when they want to be playing.
"We know what it's like to get to the final four," said Finucane. "It's a great feeling.
"We know what it's like to get to the final four and lose - it's not a great feeling," she added. "No one wants to get there and lose."
Gazette sports editor Stanley Moulton can be reached at smoulton@gazettenet.com.
