WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Senior Grant Robinson scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Amherst College men's basketball team to a 73-65 win over archrival Williams College in NESCAC action on Saturday afternoon at the Chandler Athletic Center.

The Mammoths (9-3, 1-1 NESCAC) were the first team this season to defeat the Ephs (10-1, 1-1), who are ranked 17th in the nation in the latest D3hoops poll. Amherst is back in action on Tuesday (Jan. 11), hosting Lesley for a non-conference matchup.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The first half was a tight back-and-forth affair throughout. After Michael Schretter and Will Scherer scored the first two baskets for the Mammoths, the Ephs answered to go up by one and after Amherst went up by three, a Spencer Spivy three-pointer tied the game at 8-8.
• The teams went back and forth to produce a 17-17 tie and after Robinson but Amherst up by two, a 7-0 spurt gave the Ephs a 24-19 lead, the largest lead that either side claimed in the first half.
• Amherst's best run in the first was an 8-0 run that swung the game from a four-point deficit to a four-point lead but Williams quickly tied the score again and the Mammoths took a slim 32-31 lead to the half.
• The Mammoths put the game in their favor early in the second half, coming out of halftime on a 9-0 run capped by back-to-back dunks by Scherer.
• The Ephs twice narrowed the gap to four points on several occasions in the second half but the Mammoths had an answer each time. When Williams brought it back to 47-43, Robinson followed with a pair of threes to push the lead back to double figures. The Ephs got back within four again at 64-60 with just over two minutes to go, but the Mammoths again scored the next six points and kept any further comeback at bay for an eight-point win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Robinson's 27 points included a 14-for-14 performance at the free throw line. The senior captain is now a perfect 21-for-21 this season from the line. Robinson added a game-high five assists and scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 9-for-9 from the line.
• Schretter and Scherer each scored 9 points with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• The two teams had similar shooting numbers from the floor as the Mammoths shot 44.9 percent (22-of-49) from the field and 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from beyond the arc, while the Ephs were 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field and 32.1 percent (9-of-28) on three-point shots. The difference came at the foul line, where Amherst went 23-for-26, while Williams was 4-for-7.