MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A career-high 21 points from sophomore
Laura Mendell helped push the Amherst College women's basketball team past Little 3 rival Wesleyan University, 70-55, Saturday afternoon.
The Mammoths improved to 6-0 on the season. They are off until Friday, Dec. 8, when they play host to SUNY-Poly. Tip-off time is 5 p.m. The Cardinals slipped to 4-2 on the season.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* Saturday's game was tied at the half, 29-29. Down two in the opening minute of the third quarter, Mendell drained a three-pointer for a one-point Amherst lead. Wesleyan came back with a bucket to take the lead back, but Mammoth junior
Kori Barach knocked down a trey of her own with 8:18 to go for a 35-33 Amherst lead.
Reeya Patel, who had 18 points in the win, then scored after
Alix Stuart grabbed an offensive rebound off a Patel miss, fed it back to Patel who then hit a 12-foot jumper for a four-point advantage.
* The Cardinals came back to tie on multiple occasions in the quarter and it was 39-39 with 5:38 remaining. Patel hit another jumper from the paint and then Barach came up with a steal that led to a Mendell lay-up in transition and the Mammoths' lead was back to four.
* Wesleyan cut its deficit to three before a big basket from Mendell with 2:10 to go made it a five-point lead. The Mammoths continued to attack the interior as after a Mendell defensive rebound, Barach scored off a lay-in in the paint.
Maya Cwalina then came up with a big block on the defensive end and the Cardinals turned the ball over. That led to a floater from Patel that gave Amherst its largest lead of the game, 52-43.
* With 5:42 left in the contest, Mendell hit a jumper off a Barach assist for an eight-point lead, 58-50. Mendell followed with a steal and raced down the court, pulled up and hit a jumper from the paint 60-52 lead. After a pair of free throws made by Stuart opened the Mammoths lead to 10, Mendell put the nail in the coffin with her final trey of the day, one that have Amherst a 65-52 lead with 3:29 remaining in the game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Patel (18 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) and Barach (15 points, 10 rebounds) both finished with a double-double. Stuart finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Mendell registered 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists to go with her 21-point night.
* The Mammoths held Wesleyan to 35.5 percent shooting from the floor in the game, blocking 11 shots. Cwalina had four blocks and Barach three.
* Amherst won the battle on the glass, 47-42.
