NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Despite both sides competing in a contested first half, a 7-0 run from the Falcons late into the second period gave Albertus the breakthrough they needed to secure a 79-63 win over the Mammoths at the Cosgrove Center Tuesday night.

Amherst fell to 7-3 on the season while the win lifted Albertus to a 3-7 record. After the December break, the Mammoths will head to the Naismith Classic in Springfield to play the University of Maine-Farmington, where they'll face the Beavers at 7:30 p.m. on January 1^st.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

*The Mammoths jumped off to an early 6-2 lead, highlighted by two speedy layups from senior Bobby Sommers and one jumper from the paint by senior Will Scherer in the opening 2 minutes.

*Both teams found their rhythm from there, trading buckets to eventually tie the game 28-28 with 8:18 remaining in the stanza. Two three-pointers from senior C.J. Mitchell and one from Sommers within the first ten minutes helped the Mammoths maintain a narrow lead against a hot-shooting Albertus roster up until the equalizer.

*A sequence of turnovers and missed shots from the Mammoths in the final six minutes of the half gave Albertus the breakaway they needed to capture the lead, aided by two consecutive three-pointers from Falcon junior Ray Ford, Jr., closing the period up 42-36 for the Falcons.

*A steal and consecutive dunk from Scherer, combined with a layup from Sommers, threatened to narrow Albertus's lead in the first two minutes of the second half, but a series of fouls against Amherst gave the Falcons nine points from free throws alone in the opening five minutes, awarding the hosts a 10-point lead at 56-46 and 15 minutes remaining.

*Albertus's lead widened following a 7-0 run in the final three minutes, highlighted by four points from lead-scorer Ta'zhon Daniels and awarding the hosts a 19-point lead with one minute remaining. Going 1-5 on free throws in the final three minutes, Amherst struggled to tally points against an offensive Falcon roster.

BY THE NUMBERS:

*The Mammoths closed the night shooting 39.3% (22-56) from the floor compared to a higher 47.2% (25-53) from the Falcons. Albertus also held a lead in three-pointer conversions, 42.1% to 26.3%, and the lead in free throws against Amherst, 75% to 58.3%.

*Scherer achieved a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Falcon player Deivonne Tanksley also reached a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

*Daniels scored the most points of the match, notching 24 for Albertus. Sommers followed closely behind him, converting 21.