WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Cole Prowett-Smith and Nate Karren combined for 38 points to lead Williams College to a 70-66 win over the Amherst College men's basketball team in a thrilling NESCAC Quarterfinal matchup on Saturday at Chandler Gymnasium. The Ephs led for most of the game but the Mammoths kept the pressure on throughout and were within one possession until the final seconds.

The Ephs, ranked 22nd in the nation in the latest D3hoops.com poll and the fourth seed in the NESCAC Tournament, improved to 16-3 on the season and advance to the semifinals next weekend. The Mammoths fell to 15-9 and will wait to see if they are selected to one of 20 at-large berths to join 44 conference champions in the NCAA Division III Tournament when selections are announced on Monday, Feb. 28. Amherst is currently ranked seventh out of 43 teams in Region I, one of 10 regions across the nation.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

* The Mammoths opened the game with a 4-2 lead as junior Michael Schretter and first-year Ryker Vance scored on their first attempts but the Ephs followed with nine unanswered points to take an 11-4 lead.

* The Ephs built the lead up to 11 in the first half when Karren hit back-to-back threes to put Williams up, 27-16, but that was followed by nine straight points from the Mammoths, five of which came from senior captain Tim McCarthy, who brought Amherst back within two when he scored with three-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half. The Ephs took a 31-27 lead into halftime.

* The Ephs built their largest lead of the game midway through the second half, going up by 13 when Prowitt-Smith hit back-to-back threes but the Mammoths responded again, reeling off a 13-1 run to cut the lead to 53-52 when McCarthy drained a three with just over five minutes to play.

* The Ephs built the lead back up to nine when the game became a free-throw contest in the final minute but the Mammoths weren't done yet. Vance threw down a dunk as he was fouled and completed the three-point play. A pair of free throws from senior captain Grant Robinson and another McCarthy three, his fourth of the game, had the Mammoths back within two but the Ephs made enough free throws from there to hold on for the win.

BY THE NUMBERS

* McCarthy led the Mammoths with 14 points, while Vance and senior captain Garrett Day each scored 12 points. Vance added six rebounds and two blocks. Robinson led the Mammoths with nine assists and matched Vance's team-high six rebounds.

* The Ephs shot 42 percent (22-of-53) from the field, slightly more efficient than Amherst's 39 percent (25-of-64) field-goal shooting but Williams had a stronger advantage from beyond the arc, shooting 42 percent (8-of-19) compared to Amherst's 29 percent (9-of-31).

* Prowitt-Smith scored 20 points to lead the Ephs while Karren stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals.