WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Tournament MVP Chessie Jackson scored 18 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds Monday night as the Williams College women's basketball team defeated previously unbeaten Bridgewater State, 87-68, in the title game of the Williams Winter Classic.
Williams senior Taylor Shea, named to the all-tournament team, scored 17 points and added six rebounds in the win, while Jill Greenberg netted 10 points and dished out eight assists.
Williams improved to 12-0 on the season, while Bridgewater falls to 9-1.
The Ephs raced out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes of the title bout. Shea ignited the run with a buzzer-beating 10-foot jumper off the block, and concluded the run at 16:50 when she converted a nice pass from Greenberg into a transition bucket.
Bridgewater got on the scoreboard when Michaela Cosby put home a lay-up from underneath the basket with 15:40 to go, making it an 11-2 game. The score sat at 17-10 Williams when the Ephs put together another 9-0 run, with Rehnquist draining a trey from the left corner off a nice dish from Shea and Jennie Harding knocking down a 16-foot jumper. Another three -- the Ephs were 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half -- from Jackson gave Williams a 29-11 edge with nine minutes remaining.
The Ephs took advantage of a 26-12 edge on the glass and nine turnovers from the Bears to finish the half with a 21-point lead, 49-28. Williams shot 58.8 percent (20 of 34) from the floor. Greenberg had 10 points and five assists by the break, while Jackson had nine points, five rebounds and five assists and Shea eight points and five rebounds.
The second half began much as the first ended, with the Ephs going on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 28-points with just 1:27 ticked off the clock. Shea had a transition bucket off a nice feed from Claire Baecher, and Jackson followed with an easy lay-up off a great pass from Greenberg. Jackson completed the run with a three-pointer for a 56-28 lead with 18:33 left in the contest.
Williams would build their advantage to a much as 37 points (77-40) in the second half as the Ephs cruised to their 12th straight win.
Cosby had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds to go along with four steals and two assists as she was named to the all-tournament team. Corey Cuddihy and Elisha Homich led Bridgewater with 14 points each.
The Ephs will travel to Amherst Saturday for a 4:00 PM tip-off with their NESCAC rivals. The Bears hosts MASCAC rival Westfield State on Saturday at 2:00 PM to open conference play.