KEENE, N.H. – Marley Giddins '16 scored a game-high 20 points and pulled in a game-best eight rebounds as the second-ranked Amherst College women's basketball team posted a 84-67 victory over Keene State College in Tuesday evening's season opener for the Jeffs. 

With the win, Amherst starts its season 1-0, while Keene State moves to 1-2 on the season. 

Four Amherst players scored in double figures led by Giddins who was 8-of-12 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Cheyenne Pritchard '16 followed with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, highlighted by a 4-for-5 display from beyond the arc. 

Hannah Peterson '17 and Meredith Doswell '17 added 12 and 10 points respectively, while Doswell added seven rebounds and four assists. Hannah Hackley '18 was 6-for-8 from the charity stripe and finished with nine points in the win. 

Keene State was led by Sandi Purcell and Christian Wojtas who notched 15 points each, while Amanda Petrow and Kelsey Cognetta added eight and seven points each. Sarah Kober led the Owls with seven rebounds and Cognetta added four boards and three assists in the losing effort. 

The Purple & White shot 50-percent from the field (29-for-58), 44-percent (11-of-25) from three-point range, and made 15-of-18 (83.3-percent) from the free throw line. Keene State shot 42.6-percent from the field (26-for-61) and 55.6-percent from long distance (10-of-18). The Owls also knocked down five of its seven foul shots (71.4-percent). 

Leading 49-32 at intermission, Amherst scored 15 of the first 22 points to post its largest lead of the contest (27 points) and set the score at 66-39 on a trey by Hackley with 11:34 to play in the game. 

The Jeffs kept a cushion of at least 20 points and a jumper by Jackie Nagle '18 with 4:23 remaining set the score at 77-57, before Petrow answered with a layup for Keene State that ignited a 8-1 run. The Owls pulled to within 13 (78-65) on a three-pointer from Purcell with 1:58 to play, but that's as close as they would get as Amherst converted four straight free throws down the stretch to close out the 84-67 win. 

Amherst returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 22 when it hosts Mount Holyoke to kick off the Amherst Tip-Off Tournament. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at LeFrak Gymnasium.