WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— There were a number of positives when the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team faced No. 7 nationally-ranked Williams College Tuesday night in a non-conference game at Chandler Gym.

The final score was not one of them.

                                                                                                          At right: Lexis Foster

Facing a team which started four players standing at least 5-foot-10, Eastern (3-2) played the Ephs to a virtual stalemate on the glass, commited only nine turnovers and sank over 70 percent of its free throws.

Those three factors were unable to neutralize 23.2 percent shooting from the floor -- that figure somewhat skewed due to Williams' total of 14 blocked shots--  in a 67-48 non-conference loss which ended a modest two-game winning streak which had included a 55-52 home win a week ago over No. 23 Emmanuel College.

 Ellen Cook led a trio of Williams players in double-figure scoring with a team-high 16 points and  Katie Litman came off the bench for 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes to help the hosts remain undefeated. Cook, the 6-foot-1 inch Litman, six-foot Kellie Macdonald, and Oge Uwanaka each swatted three shots.

Eastern never led in the game but used a 14-6 run over the final five minutes of the first half to cut a 16-point deficit to eight at the break, 36-28. TheWarriors enjoyed their best shooting stretch of the game in those final five minutes, connecting on five of seven attempts from the floor and both free throws. They also converted two of their four three-pointers of the game iin the final 43 seconds of the half when junior guard Kristina Forsman (Newington) and freshman guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington) sandwiched threes around a Williams miss that was rebounding by sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA).

After the teams traded baskets in the first three minutes of the second half, the hosts scored the next seven points while Eastern was missing its next five shots to move out to a 17-point, 49-32 advantage with 13 minutes left.

Williams' bench made the difference in the game, with eight players seeing at least 16 minutes of time. Litman led the reserves to a total of 24 points and 20 rebounds. The Warriors managed only eight points and ten rebounds, with freshman post player Lexis Foster (Groton) grabbing a season-high seven of those boards in 14 minutes. In four games, she averages 4.3 rebounds in an average of 12.5 minutes.

Forsman  led Eastern with 16 points while  Ritrosky added her second double-double in three games with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Eastern plays the first of three straight home games to close out first-semester play Tuesday with a non-conference game against Westfield State University at 5:30 p.m.