BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Behind a 23-point second-half surge, the Amherst College Men's Basketball team topped Sarah Lawrence 80-46 on Saturday afternoon at Noyes Court.
Amherst improved to 3-1 overall, while the Gryphons fell to a 1-4 record for the season. Up next, the Mammoths will return home to host the Emmanuel College Saints, who they'll face on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Lefrak Gymnasium.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*Amherst started out hot, riding early three-pointers from senior Chris Hammond and senior Drew Martin to notch a 14-4 command with 15:31 to play.
*Throughout the next three minutes, the Gryphons fought back to reduce Amherst's lead to 19-14, highlighted by a three-pointer from senior John Kairouz at the wing.
*At the ten-minute mark, first-year Sherron Woodberry responded with a three-pointer of his own that led off a 12-1 Amherst run. The hot-shooting guard bookended the drive with another three-pointer at 8:04 remaining.
*With 6:19 left in the half, junior Marc Garraud captured a steal beneath the iron and quickly bucketed a layup seconds later. However, the Gryphons were tight on Amherst's heels as junior Aiden Morel netted a three-pointer 17 seconds later to make it 34-20.
*Both sides traded buckets throughout the final five minutes of the first half as three-pointers from Garraud and Morel extended the contest to 43-28 at the buzzer.
*The Mammoths were tested early in the second, conceding a layup and three-pointer from senior Braden Burman and Kairouz, respectively.
*Amherst's offensive unit took form with fifteen minutes remaining, pouring out 19 points in 23 points in the next 10 minutes. The Mammoths fired on all cylinders, with seven different players scoring over the stretch. Hammond and junior Nate Pabis led the way with five points apiece. Simultaneously, the Amherst defense came alive to hold Sarah Lawrence to just four points during the drive, pushing the score to 73-37.
*The Gryphons gained momentum with 2:45 remaining as sophomore Gavin Wright nailed a three-pointer and a layup to make it 78-44, but the effort was not enough as the Mammoths ran away with the 80-46 win.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Amherst held the offensive advantage, leading 50.9% (28-55) to 21.4% (12-56) in field goals converted, 37.9% (11-29) to 20% (6-30) in three-pointers converted, and 84.6% (11-13) to 80% (12-15) in free throws converted.
*Junior Andrew Kim was the game's leading scorer, netting 14 points. Garraud and first-year Brandon Margolin were close behind, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively.
