BOSTON, MA – Sophomore center Peter Kaasila (Plaistow, NH) scored a career-high 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting to lead the 20th-ranked Amherst College men's basketball team to a 79-52 win over Emmanuel College Tuesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center.

Amherst improves to 7-0 after its sixth consecutive victory of at least 20 points, while the Saints drop to 2-4. The Jeffs, who began the week leading the NESCAC in scoring margin, join second-ranked Williams (8-0) and fifth-ranked Middlebury (7-0) as the conference's only unbeaten teams. 

Kaasila's 22 points came in only 27 minutes of action, while three other Amherst players finished in double figures. The Jeffs carried a 10-point lead into halftime after neither team shot well in the opening 20 minutes, but Amherst drained 53 percent of its shots in the second frame while holding the Saints to 25 percent. The hosts never got closer than 13 points after Amherst opened the second half on a 7-0 run. 

After falling into a 4-0 hole to begin the game, the Jeffs went on a 14-0 run and never relinquished their lead, with Conor Meehan '11 (Meriden, CT) finding Taylor Barrise '12 (Allendale, NJ) for a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to highlight the early spurt. 

The hosts cut their deficit to one point and trailed by only two at 22-20, but Amherst used shut-down defense to hold Emmanuel to only two points during a three-minute stretch and would carry a 38-28 advantage into the locker room. 

Sixteen of Kaasila's 22 points came in the second half, as the Jeffs out-scored the Saints handily in the paint, 32-14. Amherst also moved the ball well on the night, dishing out 23 assists on 27 field goals. Barrise finished with 14 points thanks to four three-pointers, giving him 11 in his past two games. Willy Workman '13 (Northampton, MA) added 13 points and eight rebounds for Amherst, while Aaron Toomey '14 (Greensboro, NC) totaled 12 points, six assists, four boards and three steals. 

Meehan never found his shooting touch (2-of-12) but found other ways to fill out the stat sheet, finishing the night with eight points, nine rebounds, five assists, a block and two steals. David Waller '12 (Tampa, FL) added a career-best six assists and Allen Williamson '13 (Saugus, MA) pulled down four offensive rebounds. 

The Lord Jeffs will return to action Thursday, Dec. 9, when they host Babson College (4-4) at 5:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE