AMHERST, Mass. – Three Mammoths scored in double figures and tallied career highs as the Amherst College men's basketball team pulled away for a 94-64 win over Northern Vermont University–Johnson on Monday night in the home opener at LeFrak Gymnasium. Sophomore forward Noah Helmke led the way with a career-high 20 points, including 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, as the Mammoths made 18 three-pointers in the game.

The Mammoths improved to 3-3 on the season while the Badgers fell to 5-4. Amherst is back in action on Thursday (Dec. 1), visiting Colby-Sawyer for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The game began as a tightly contested affair with three ties and three lead changes in the first 15 minutes. The two sides traded baskets and neither team led by more than three points through the first 10 minutes of the game. With the score tied at 17-17, Helmke hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions and sophomore center Will Scherer followed with a putback layup to give the Mammoths a 25-17 lead with 7:33 to go in the first half.

* The Badgers quickly answered with an 8-0 run of their own as a three-pointer from junior guard Josiah Wimberly evened the score at 25-25 with 6:29 left in the first half.

* The turning point of the game came over the next two minutes. With the score tied, sophomore guard Bobby Sommers threw down a dunk as he was being fouled on the fast break and completed the three-point play to give the Mammoths a lead they never relinquished. The play set off a 20-2 run for the Mammoths that put Amherst up by 18 with a minute to go in the first half before taking a 45-31 lead to halftime.

* The Badgers scored seven straight points surrounding halftime as a dunk from sophomore forward Raymond Baka brought NVU-Johnson back within 11 points but that was as close as the Badgers got in the second half.

* A 13-2 spurt put the Mammoths up by 25 points with 11:37 to go after a pair of threes from Helmke were followed by a three from sophomore guard C.J. Mitchell.

* The Mammoths took their largest lead of the game when first-year forward Chris Hammond hit a three-pointer with three minutes to go that gave Amherst a 92-60 lead.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* The Mammoths shot 46 percent (35-of-77) from the floor and 45 percent (18-of-40) from beyond the arc. The 18 three-pointers are the most Amherst has scored in a game in over 10 years. Amherst held NVU-Johnson to 35 percent (24-of-68) shooting from the floor and 33 percent (4-of-12) from beyond the arc.

* Sophomore guard Canin Reynolds scored a career-high 19 points, including 5-of-9 three-point shooting, and added 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals.

* Sommers also tallied a career high with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and added 7 rebounds.

* Playing in his second collegiate game, first-year forward Drew Martin scored his first collegiate points and finished with nine points, two rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

* First-year guard Mohammed Semega led the Badgers with 18 points.