NEW LONDON, Conn. – Four Camels scored in double figures as Connecticut College withstood several Mammoths comebacks to earn a 71-65 win over the Amherst College men's basketball team in NESCAC action on Saturday afternoon at Luce Fieldhouse. The game was tied at 59-59 with three minutes to go when the Camels scored six straight points and held the lead from there.

The Camels improved to 10-10 overall and conclude the NESCAC slate at 4-5, while the Mammoths fell to 15-8 overall with a 5-5 mark in NESCAC play. The Mammoths ended the day in fifth place in the conference and have clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. Amherst is lined up to face archrival Williams in the quarterfinals on Saturday (Feb. 19) and with three more games on the conference schedule tomorrow, the only remaining question is where the Mammoths and Ephs will face off. Williams, at 4-3 in the conference, visits Bates tomorrow where an Ephs win would secure a game in Williamstown. A Bobcats win would put Williams and Amherst in a fourth-place tie with the Mammoths owning the tiebreaker by virtue of their win at Williams in the meeting on the conference schedule last month.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

* The teams traded baskets back-and-forth early until the Camels used a 10-2 run to take a six-point lead. The Mammoths answered with six straight points, with first-year forward Ryker Vance tying the game at 17-17 with a dunk.

* Junior center Beluolisah Oranye scored two straight baskets for the Mammoths to put Amherst up by three, but the Camels closed the half on a 12-2 run to take a 34-26 lead at halftime.

* The Camels went up by 11 points before the Mammoths scored in the second half, but from there the Mammoths rallied to tie the game at 41-41 as senior captain Tim McCarthy sunk two threes before first-year center Will Scherer scored to tie the game.

* The Camels used a quick spurt to go up by five but again Amherst battled back to tie the game and take the lead with three clutch three-pointers from first-year guard C.J. Mitchell, the last of which game the Mammoths a 59-56 lead with just under five minutes to go. The Camels scored nine straight points after that and held the lead until the final buzzer.

BY THE NUMBERS

* McCarthy led the Mammoths with a career-high 19 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

* Mitchell scored a career-best 13 points in just nine minutes off the bench, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

* Sophomore David Murray led the Camels with 12 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.