Contact: Matthew Hart

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Aaron Toomey '14 tied his career high for the second time in 10 days, pouring in 34 points and grabbing eight rebounds to lift the 10th-ranked Amherst College men's basketball team to a hard-fought 74-65 win over No. 18 Rhode Island College in non-conference action on Tuesday night.

In a back-and-forth battle that was a one-possession game with as little as 2:39 remaining, Toomey was the difference. Scoring 20 points in the second half, the junior played all 40 minutes, shooting 9-for-12 from the floor and a deadly 5-for-6 from three point range while also converting 11-of-12 free throw attempts. David Kalema '14 added 15 points for Amherst (18-2) while Peter Kaasila '13 and Willy Workman '13 each scored 10. 

Holding the Anchormen (16-3) to 41.8 percent shooting and just a 4-for-12 performance from long range, the Jeffs overcame 15 turnovers, handing RIC just its third loss of the year as the hosts struggled from the line, hitting just 5-of-11 attempts. Nyheem Sanders '14 led the Anchormen with 18 points while Chris Burton '15 posted 10 points and 13 rebounds and Tahrike Carter '13 dished out 10 assists to go with four points and five boards.

Scoring the game's first five points, Toomey staked Amherst to an early lead but RIC quickly responded with a 6-0 run before the teams settled into trading baskets for the opening five minutes. Amherst grabbed a two-possession lead at 16-11 on a Connor Green '16 layup with 13:14 remaining, but a layup and three-pointer from Tom DeCiantis '14 evened it at 16 before an 8-1 Anchorman run gave RIC the half's biggest lead at 24-17 with 9:19 to go.

Amherst quickly responded with its own 7-0 spurt as Workman's old-fashioned three-point play knotted it at 24 with 7:23 still on the clock. After a Steven Roberts '13 dunk put the hosts back in front, Tom Killian '14 knocked down a trio of free throws and the Jeffs kept a narrow lead for the remainder of the half with Toomey hitting four from the stripe in the final 1:20 to put the guests up 37-31 at the break.

Staying hot to start the second, Toomey scored five in a row to put Amherst ahead 42-33 three minutes in. RIC responded with an 11-2 run, however, tying it at 44 on a jumper by Sanders with 14:05 remaining. The game would stay at one possession for the next four minutes, but Amherst eventually grabbed momentum with a 9-0 run, Kalema's layup putting the Jeffs up 58-51 with 8:55 left.

The Anchormen would not be sunk, however, scoring the next six to make it a one-point affair. Kalema responded with a triple before a Kaasila layup put the Jeffs up 63-57 with 4:33 to go, but a Burton free throw and Sanders layup brought it back to one possession at 63-60 with 2:39 remaining. 

After each team missed three-point attempts, however, Toomey hit a big jumper and a Jeff stop on the next RIC possession led to a Kalema fast break layup, forcing the hosts to foul as Amherst led 68-60 with 1:10 to go. Toomey hit four from the line down the stretch to cap his impressive night and ice the win for the Jeffs.

Toomey's stellar performance matched his 34-point outburst against Colby on Jan. 29 as well as his total from Amherst's NCAA Second Round win over NYU on Mar. 3, 2012.

Amherst will return to NESCAC action on Friday, Feb. 1, hosting Bates College at 6 p.m.