WATERVILLE, ME – The sixth-seeded Amherst College men's basketball team had its season come to a close Saturday afternoon with a 67-49 loss to third-seeded Colby College in the opening round of the 2010 NESCAC Championship. The Lord Jeffs finish at 14-11 overall, while the Mules advance to the conference semifinals with a 19-5 record. 

Playing in their final collegiate games Saturday afternoon were Amherst seniors Steve Wheeler (Bloomington, MN) and DJ Carcieri (Narragansett, RI), who helped the Lord Jeffs post a 92-24 record in the past four years. Both players were a part of the 2007 National Championship and 2008 National Runner-Up teams. Wheeler ranks 27th on the program's all-time scoring list (917) and second on the career three-point field goal list (191). 

The Jeffs entered the weekend having never lost in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals, but Saturday's game marked the first time Amherst had not hosted a first-round game. Head Coach Dave Hixon '75 moves to 21-6 all-time in conference tournament play with four NESCAC titles and four runner-up finishes under his belt. Colby has now won its past three meetings with Amherst. 

Amherst took an 11-2 lead on a layup by sophomore David Waller (Tampa, FL), but the Mules would score the next nine points of the game and eventually take their first lead at 15-14 with 12:13 to play in the opening half. The Jeffs regained the lead at 22-21 thanks to a jumper from first-year Allen Williamson (Saugus, MA), but Colby answered right back with a three-pointer and would take a 29-26 lead into the locker room. 

A Taylor Barrise '12 (Allendale, NJ) three-pointer marked the first points of the second half and tied things up at 29-29, and the Jeffs bumped their lead to four points on a pair of free throws from Waller. The hosts followed with a 15-4 run to take a 46-39 lead midway through the period, and the visitors never got closer than five points. Colby led by as many as 21, as the Jeffs scored only 10 points in the final 10:47. 

Junior point guard Conor Meehan (Meriden, CT) returned from injury to lead Amherst with 14 points four rebounds and five assists, with Waller adding 10 points, four boards, two assists and three blocks. Barrise, sophomore Jeff Holmes (Saunderstown, RI) and first-year Pete Kaasila (Plaistow, NH) each had six points and combined for 14 rebounds, with Kaasila adding three blocks. 

The Lord Jeffs connected on only one of their 13 attempts from long range, including an 0-for-6 performance in the first half. Amherst shot 47.6 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes but only 32.1 percent in the second half, while Colby shot 6-of-12 from behind the arc and 19-of-24 from the line. The Mules significantly won the rebounding battle, 40-29. Mike Russell led all scorers with 17 points, with Gil Haylon and Justin Sherman chipping in with 15 and 11, respectively. Russell and Adam Choice each had 10 rebounds for the hosts. 

Amherst dropped its final six games of the season and eight of its last nine to finish with the highest loss total and lowest win total since 1991 (9-14). The Lord Jeffs got off to a 13-3 start and were ranked in the top 10 nationally before hitting their late-season skid.

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