AMHERST, Mass. – Hamilton senior guard Kelcie Zarle tallied 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists to lead Hamilton College to a 52-43 win over the Amherst College women's basketball team in NESCAC action on Saturday afternoon at LeFrak Gymnasium.
The Mammoths, ranked seventh in the nation in the latest
D3hoops.com poll and fifth in the latest
WBCA Division III coaches poll, fall to 10-2 overall with a 2-2 mark in NESCAC play while the Continentals improve to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference with their first NESCAC win of the season. Amherst is back in action on Tuesday (Jan. 25) at 6 p.m. with a visit to Babson.
The Mammoths wore pink jerseys as part of a fundraising effort for the Cancer Connection in Northampton, a non-profit organization that provides support and services to community members affected by cancer. The
virtual fundraiser continues through Friday and all donations are welcomed.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
* The Continentals opened the game on a 9-0 run and shot 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field in the first quarter. Senior captain
Gabrielle Zaffiro got the Mammoths on the board with a three-pointer and sophomore guard
Reeya Patel followed with a short jumper. Hamilton didn't build its lead back to nine until the final basket of the game but the Mammoths got no closer than a three-point deficit in the first half, going into halftime on the short end of a 24-21 score after senior captain
Dani Valdez hit a jumper to close the first half.
* The Mammoths made a charge in the third quarter with a 7-0 run that tied the game at 28-28 when Zaffiro scored as she was getting fouled. A pair of Valdez free throws gave the Mammoths their only lead of the game at 32-31 late in the third quarter but Zarle responded with a three-pointer and the Continentals led the rest of the way.
* Valdez scored with just over three minutes to go to cut the Hamilton lead to four but the Continentals defense held the Mammoths scoreless the rest of the way while Hamilton shot 60 percent (6-of-10) from the field in the fourth quarter.
BY THE NUMBERS
* Valdez led the Mammoths with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks of 5-of-8 field goal shooting for her third double-double of the season and fourth straight game scoring in double figures.
* Senior captain
Lauren Pelosi also hit double figures with 11 points to go with 5 rebounds.
* Zaffiro led the Mammoths with a career-best six assists.
* Junior captain Emma Sehring scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Continentals.
* The Continentals shot 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field for the game while holding the Mammoths to 32 percent (17-of-54). Hamilton was also 40 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc while Amherst hit threes at a 25 percent (4-of-16) clip.
