WBB: NESCAC

[sumfun]

I think so too as Amherst has the highest seed, even though they lost to Williams head to head in the game that counts towards the league standings.  I don't think seedings revert back to that I'd top seed goes down.

[sumfun]

It's on NESCAC website that Amherst does host. 

[7express]

Welp Amherst in the drivers seat now.  I know Amherst now indeed will host both the mens and women's semifinals and finals, but do they reseed??  If not it gives a huge advantage to Bowdoin who, imo, should beat Middlebury pretty easily in the 1 semifinal while Amherst and Williams will be a dog fight in the other.

[Maine 1]

NESCAC does reseed, so Bowdoin will now play Amherst, and Middlebury will play Williams, likely setting up a Wiliams/ Amherst file. As I posted earlier, I thought Bowdoin would be a tough draw for Tufts.  They were clearly a better team then Trinity and Wesleyan (even though they did lose to both these teams on the road).  Amherst is the beneficiary of that upset as the get the finals at home.  I am sure the Williams crew will make the trip to Amherst to pack the gym.   There will be quite a crowd in Amherst with both men's and womens' finals there next weekend.

[toad22]

I am very excited about the NESCAC semis and finals next weekend. This is the best chance Williams had had to win the championship in many years. All of the key players for Williams are healthy and playing as well individually and collectively as they ever have. A final factor that should not be overlooked is that they are no longer intimidated by Amherst. It will take a great effort to get there, but I am very hopeful.

[amh63]

Been at the beach this weekend and out of the loop for abit.   Caught  abit of Amherst's game but the reception was not a good.  Surprised to see that the game  in LeFrak ended up a blowout.
Amherst is getting good play down the line.  Am concerned a bit that the team is short handed a bit....Coach G will have to change his practice routine somewhat.
Happy to see that the LJ's will host and the team has stepped up the team defense another notch.

[Maine 1]

Some thoughts on the NESCAC finals--First, I am disappointed that Tufts lost, as I was planning on heading to Tufts for the Saturday semis--Amherst is a bit of a long drive, and with both men's and womens there, it will be a zoo.
Great job by Bowdoin pulling off the upset.  They will give Amherst trouble, particulalry if hitting from the outside.  Donahoe is having a great season, and Bowdoin has improved througout the year.  I don't think Middlebury has much of a shot at all against Williams.
I believe that as between Williams and Amherst, Williams is probably the better team.  Bacher is the Player of the Year--but Williams has to find her, and use her down low. Gromacki is the best coach, and Amherst has the home court.  When the two teams played earlier in the year at Amherst, I thought that Williams forgot to keep Bacher in the offense in the second half.
In these games, the best team does not always win.  If Gromacki were coaching Williams, I would definitely say Williams would win. But he isn't. 

[sumfun]

Maine1, agree with your points.  Amherst will have to be prepared for Bowdoin and not look ahead to Williams.  Should they face Williams, the keys will be Hardy and Voigt getting some open looks at 3's and Megan Robertson providing an option down low and bothering Bacher.  Actually that's the key to every game.  Crisp, rapid passes that get an open look on the perimeter or an open backdoor cut.  Crowley having a good game with some points off the bench are also key.  Plus, as you say, there is the Gromacki factor. 

[JustAFan]

I don't think Bowdoin can play (or shoot) any better than they did against Tufts. They were unconscious from behind the arc (58% for the game, 71% in the second half alone!!) and also shot above average in general.  Tufts ran into the perfect storm, shooting terribly against a team that was shooting lights out (the usually reliable Kate Barnosky was 4-16 from the field, the team's second best shooter, Hannah Foley, was 2 for 12 and 1-7 on 3's).  This on top of having point guard Kelsey Morehead coming back from a concussion and not having guard Caitlin McClure available due to a sprained ankle. The Tufts defense forced 17 Bowdoin turnovers and only committed 5 on their end and Tufts still lost--go figure. I thought the Jumbos were going to pull it out when they came back from 10 down to go up by 2 with 4 minutes left.  The only coaching decision I found curious was the fact that Ali Rocchi, who was having a career game (5-7 from the field) and was the only player other than Bre Dufault who was able to score against Bowdoin, did not play during the game's final 5 minutes, even after Bre fouled out.

Give Bowdoin all the credit for a great game plan well executed, and give Coach Shibles a lot of credit for bringing this young team along and getting them to develop and gell over the course of the season. If I was picking next year's top teams Bowdoin would be in my top 3, and in 2 years they should be back to being the team to beat.  I was especially impressed by the play of the 3 Bowdoin freshman Saturday (Shannon Brady (a future POY), Selena Lorrey and Nina Hadzibabic) and there are a bunch of very good sophomores in the mix as well.  This is a much better Bowdoin team than folks saw in December or January, and while they are very young they have the talent to give Amherst a game if they shoot well and handle the defensive pressure in the backcourt that Amherst is sure to throw at them.

On the Tufts side, the Jumbos have to take heart that despite playing perhaps their worst game of the year on the offensive end they nearly pulled it out. I have to think that the prospect of hosting the league final four as the #1 seed played a role in the Jumbos playing a bit tight at the outset. But the game also exposed Tufts deficiencies on the offensive end--with one exception they have no outside shooting and their offensive sets are painful to watch, usually culminating with off balance drives to the hoop that they can't finish and, at least against Bowdoin, did not result in a foul to bail them out. Coach Berube never seems to have good offensive teams, and doesn't seem to recruit players with great offensive skills (on the whole, Bowdoin had a lot more players with better basketball skills than the Tufts side), but no team plays harder or with more heart than Tufts. The question is how far can that take them against the top teams in the country in the absence of any go to offensive players to get them the difficult hoop when they need it.  With all that said, this Tufts team has exceeded the expectations of most fans, and I believe they still have the ability to have a good run in the tournament with a little luck in their seeding. 

[amh63]

Watched online an efficient Amherst team beat upstart Bowdoin 60-45.  The last time the two teams mer, the Polar Bears took an 6-point lead into the half....only to have the LJs smother them in the 2nd half.  This time around, Amherst led early and finish strong with 4 FYs' and a soph on the floor in the last 3 minutes.  Solid win for Amherst as they await the winner of the Midd vs Williams game in the finals on Sunday.

[sumfun]

Amherst vs Williams in both Men's and Women's NESCAC Finals tomorrow.  LeFrak will be the place to be.

[Maine 1]

Hopefully both games will be wellplayed, and the referees will let the players decide the game.  If Williams women focus on getting the ball inside to Bacher and Rainer, they will win.  If they decided to make it a 3 point game, then I see Amherst.  Also, if the referees let Amherst play very physical against Bacher, this will have an impact.
I will watch on-line--should be an entertaining game

[Maine 1]

A lot of credit to Amherst and their defense, and a great second half by Voight, who was the only player (besides Holness) on either team who actually looked like they knew how to play offense.  Williams offense in the second half (and actually for most of the game ) was non-existent.  I would have thought Williams could have mustered a bit more.  We will see how these teams do in the NCAAs.

[amh63]

Amherst wins another "CAC" title!  In a game that was only 18 to 17 at the half....Amherst goes on to win by 15....53-38....I believe.  Stats are down .In any case it was an ugly game in the first half as both teams could not hit any sort of baskets....both teams appeared tight...too tight.  Amherst won by less than 10 in the first game in LeFrak.  Went to Chandler on Senior day and got blown out in the first half....Ephs by 20 at the half in that game.  Amherst and Wiliams played even in the second half and Williams won by 20........It just seemed that the first half of today's game was a continuation of that game.
Amherst shoots only around 15% from the field and Williams was no better.  In the 2nd half, Amherst builds a 2-4 point lead.  With about 11 plus minutes to go...Meg Robertson gets her 4th foul...two quick fouls in the 2nd half and goes to the bench.  M. Voigt steps it up big time and scores 6 straight points and  the energy level on the team goes up.  Defense picks up and with 4 minutes to go, Amherst holds a lead of 12-14.  Robertson returns when Holness fouls out on illegal screen.  Meg gets several key rebounds and scores down low to hold off the Ephs.  Four FY players on the floor at the end of the game for Amherst.....their first conference title.....Amherst's 4th straight.  Forgot....Holness was the energy spark in both halves especially when Meg picked up her second and then her 4th.

[NH NESCAC Fan]

I was at the game.  Savannah Holness, was indeed, a difference maker today.  She played with confidence, and played excellent defense against Baecher.  While Baecher left the game very early with an injury to the index finger on her shooting hand, it didn't appear that the injury affected her shot.  I think she made all six of her foul shots.  Zero field goals, however.  She didn't get many good looks.

As I think has been the case all season, the defense of Amherst was what really won this game.  They never let up.  For 40 minutes there was constant pressure at every turn...on the ball and off the ball.  Williams didn't have the answer, and their defense wasn't as intense, or as effective.  My hat gets tipped to the ladies of Amherst.  They were clearly the better team today.