Maya DAYTONA BEACH, FL. -- Senior Reeya Patel scored a season-high 23 points Friday and junior Kori Barach posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Amherst College women's basketball team posted an 81-71 victory over Husson University at the Ocean Center as part of the 2023 Florida Shootout. 

Amherst improved to 8-0 on the season. The Mammoths will face Clarkson University back at the Ocean center tomorrow for another 12 p.m. tip-off. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Amherst went on a 9-0 run to end the first quarter that helped it build a 12-point lead, 24-12. A steal by Laura Mendell led to a pass to Annie McCarthy, who fed Patel who followed with a three-point shot that turned a three-point lead into six. On the Mammoths next offensive possession, Patel cleaned up a Mendell miss on the glass and scored the putback for a 20-12 lead. Following a defensive rebound by Mendell, Barach drove to the basket and was fouled, sinking booth freebies for a 22-12 lead. 

* The Mammoths were able to build their lead up to 16 before halftime as Patel knocked down two clutch three-pointers, the second of which gave them a 44-28 lead, its largest of the game, with 2:46 remaining before the break. Two late Husson baskets cut that deficit back to 12 by halftime, 44-32. 

* The Eagles made a run in the third quarter, cutting the Amherst lead to just to five by the end of the frame, 60-55. Husson got even closer after a free throw at the start of the fourth made it 60-56. But Mendell came up with a stea and was fouled going to the basket, hitting one of two free throws for a five-point lead, then knocking down a huge three-ball that followed a Maya Cwalina block for an eight-point lead with 7:35 remaining. A Barach lay-up with 6:01 to go would get the Mammoth lead to 10 and Husson would get no closer than nine after that, with the Mammoths finally posting the 81-71 victory. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Barach just missed a triple-double, finishing the game with 9 assists to her 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mendell had 17 points and 6 rebounds, while McCarthy notched 10 points. Patel added 5 assists and 5 rebounds to her 23-point night. Cwalina had 6 points and 8 rebounds and Alix Stuart also scored 6 points. 

* The Mammoths comitted only 11 turnovers in the contest and outscored Husson 25-4 in the points-off-turnovers category. 

* Amherst outrebounded Husson, 48-42.