Mammoths Fall Late to UMW in Second Round of NCAA Championship, 81-64

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Despite securing a 34-33 lead at the break, the Amherst College men's basketball team was stifled by a hot-shooting University of Mary Washington roster in the second half of the contest on Saturday night, losing 81-64 against the Eagles in the second round of the NCAA Div. III Men's Basketball Championship, hosted by the University of Mary Washington.

Amherst closed the season 19-8 overall and 7-3 in NESCAC play. UMW improved to 26-3 overall and will face the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse in the third round of the Championship.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

*Junior Jay Randall put the Eagles on the scoreboard first with a mid-range jumper at 18:43 remaining.

*Following two shot clock violations in the first two minutes, the Mammoths secured their first batch of points of the contest with a layup from senior Chris Hammond at 16:34 remaining, 3-2.

*First-year K.J. Neville bucketed a layup one minute later to give Amherst its first lead of the night. The guard followed up at 15:00 remaining to pour in another three points from the wing, 7-6.

*With seconds ticking down on the shot clock, junior Marc Garraud hit a long-range three-pointer from the top of the arch at 12:45 remaining to help retain Amherst's lead, 10-9.

*After equalizing 14-14 at the ten-minute mark, junior Nate Pabis nailed a three-pointer from the top of the arch to regain the lead for the Mammoths.

*Amherst's lead pushed to a 24-18 advantage with 6:04 to play. The effort was highlighted by back-to-back threes from junior Zane Adnan and Garraud.

*Both sides traded buckets in the closing five minutes of the half, until two final free throws from sophomore Elias Chin gave Amherst a one-point lead heading into the break, 34-33.

*Neville picked up where the Mammoths left off with a hot start to the second half, nailing a three-pointer on Amherst's first possession.

*The Eagles retaliated with a 16-2 drive between 17:57 and 12:19 as the Mammoths fell into a six-minute live-scoring drought. During the period, sophomore Ulysses Young poured in eight points on two threes and a jumper, while sophomore Kye Robinson tallied four points on two layups.

*While Garraud weakened the gap to 54-44 at 12:19 remaining with a three-pointer, the Eagles stayed hot-shooting. Amherst returned to its scoreless troubles for another seven minutes as UMW fortified its lead with a 17-0 drive. 71-44.

*Amherst's offensive unit heated up with 4:30 to play, pouring in 9 unanswered points led by buckets from senior Drew Martin, Neville, and first-year Sherron Woodberry. However, the effort was not enough to erase the Eagles' gap as UMW claimed an 81-64 victory over the Mammoths at the close.

BY THE NUMBERS:

*Mary Washington held the offensive advantage in live-shooting, converting 53.7% (29-54) of field goals compared to Amherst's 35.1% (20-57) and 44.44% (8-18) of three-pointers compared to Amherst's 35.3% (12-34). Amherst held a slight advantage at the foul line, converting 63.2% of shots compared to 62.5% by the host.

*Robinson was the game's leading scorer, netting 22 points. Young followed close behind with 19 points. Off the Amherst roster, Neville scored the most points with 16.

*Randall was the only player to notch a double-double, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds, the most rebounds of any player in the contest.