LAS VEGAS, NV. -- Amherst College junior Reeya Patel scored 18 points Wednesday night to lead the Mammoths' women's basketball team to a 61-51 victory over Montclair State at the South Point Arena.

The game was part of the D3hoops Classic. The victory improved Amherst to 8-0 on the season. The Mammoths take on Concordia College Thursday at 3 p.m. EST in another Classic match-up.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* A big 23-point second-quarter helped the Mammoths out to 32-25 halftime lead. A lay-up by Anna Tranum tied the score at 20-all with 5:09 left in the quarter and a pair of made foul shot by Tranum then gave Amherst a two-point lead with 3:49 remaining. Sophomore AnLing Vera then made her presence felt scoring a fastbreak lay-up set up by a defensive rebound and great pass from Sylvia Liddle for a 24-21 lead, then nailing a three-pointer of another Liddle assist for a 27-22 advantage with only 2:27 to go before halftime. 

* Amherst still led by six at the end of the third quarter, but Montclair State tied the game mid-way through the fourth, 44-44. on a Nicki Carter jumper. Vera answered that immediately with another trey. Following a defensive rebound by Patel Vera hit a jumper in the paint for a 49-44 lead. Tranum then grabbed a defensive board and got the ball to Vera, who swung it over to Patel. The junior guard drained a three-ball for a 52-44 advantage. Following another Tranum defensive rebound, Patel got the ball inside to Maya Cwalina, whose turnaround jumper made it 54-44 with 4:49 left in the game and concluded a 10-0 run for the Mammoths. 

* That run was the deciding factor as Montclair State could get no closer than nine points over the final four minutes. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Patel finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Vera had 12 points and a team-high 6 assists. Kori Barach had 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Cwalina had 8 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in the game. Tranum and Liddle had 6 points each. 

* Amherst won the battle on the glass, 39-32.