AMHERST, Mass. -- Gabrielle Zaffiro led a balanced Amherst attack Saturday night with 13 points while first-year AnLing Vera added 12 in the Mammoths' 56-48 victory over St. John Fisher in an second round Div. III NCAA Tournament game played at LeFrak Gymnasium in front a crowd of 277. 

Amherst improved to 23-3 in advancing to the Sweet 16 against conference rival Tufts University at a place and date to be announced Sunday. It is the 14th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance for the Mammoths, who have eight trips to the national semifinals and three national championships in that time frame. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* A 10-0 run over the final few minutes of the first quarter and the opening minutes of the second snapped an 11-11 tie and gave the Mammoths a 10-point lead. They would never trail after that. It was a Zaffiro mid-range jumper with 1:58 remaining in the opening quarter that broke the tie. Dani Valdez then broke Kaitlin Walker's lay-up attempt and Reeya Patel grabbed the rebound. Valdez then knocked down a shot from the paint for an 15-11 lead at the quarter's conclusion. 

* The second quarter opened with Zaffiro driving to the hoop and dishing the ball to Valdez, who converted another lay-in from the paint. Following a block by Valdez at the other end, Patel dribbled into the paint and hit a floater from 10 feet out for a 19-11 lead. A pair of Zaffiro free throws made it 21-11 with 7:37 left before halftime. The Cardinals fought back to within six by the break at 27-21. 

*  Zaffiro opened the third quarter with another mid-range jumper good for an eight-point lead, but St. John Fisher scored the next five points to cut it to three at 29-26. After a couple of turnovers for each team, Patel fired up a three that missed. She grabbed her own rebound but missed another shot. Amherst kept possession and got the ball to Courtney Resch, who drilled a trey from the top of the key for a 32-26 lead. Following another Cardinal turnover, Mammoth senior Jade Duval scored a bucket from the paint for an eight-point lead with 6:30 to go. 

* Amherst led 39-32 after three quarters. It was 39-34 when Lauren Pelosi stepped up and hit a big three-pointer. Two possessions later, Pelosi hit another big shot to make it 44-34 Mammoths with 8:20 left in the game. An 8-0 Fisher run over the next three minutes turned the game into a thriller. Again, it was Pelosi who hit the big shot, another jumper that gave the Mammoths a 46-42 lead with 3:38 remaining. All seven of Pelosi's points came in the final quarter of play. In the final nine minutes of the game she had seven points, two rebounds and a steal. 

* It was Vera who helped salt away the win as she hit six consecutive free throws in a 36-seconds span to extend the Amherst lead to double digits. 



BY THE NUMBERS: 

*Amherst held the Cardinals to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor in the game, but only shot 31.6 percent (17 off 55) itself. Each team had 15 turnovers while the Mammoths held a favorable 43-35 advantage on the glass. 

* The Mammoths went 18 of 22 from the foul line, hitting 10 of 12 down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Despite the low shooting percentage, the Mammoths once again moved the ball well, registering 12 assists on 17 field goals. Vera added seven assists to her 12-point night. to go along with 5 rebounds. Patel finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Zaffiro had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Valdez had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Duval notched 5 points and 8 rebounds. Pelosi had 7 points and 2 rebounds.