AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore forward Charlie Randall scored 16 points in the second half to lead the Amherst College men's basketball team to a 63-54 win over Tufts University in NESCAC action on Friday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The Mammoths improved to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in NESCAC play while the Jumbos, ranked 14th in the nation in the latest D3hoops.com poll, fell to 13-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

The Mammoths return to the floor at LeFrak Gymnasium on Saturday (Jan. 13), hosting Bates at 3 p.m. for a NESCAC clash.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Jumbos got off to a strong start as senior guard Casey McLaren followed his first basket with a steal and a fast-break bucket while being fouled. McLaren missed the free throw but sophomore forward Scott Gyimesi grabbed the offensive rebound and scored to give the Jumbos a 9-4 lead.

* The Mammoths followed with a 12-2 run, reclaiming the lead on a short jumper from junior forward Ryker Vance, who scored seven points in the run, and going up by a 16-11 score on a 3-pointer from Vance.

* Tufts followed with seven straight points to go back up by two before junior guard Bobby Sommers came up with a steal and ran the length of the floor to throw down a dunk that tied the game at 18-18.

* The Mammoths held the Jumbos scoreless for over four minutes while first-year guard Johnny McCain and sophomore guard Drew Martin each hit 3-pointers to put Amherst up, 29-25, with four minutes to go in the first half.

* Baskets on back-to-back possessions from junior guard Khai Champion put the Jumbos back on top and the Jumbos took a 32-31 lead to halftime after senior guard Jay Dieterle came up with a steal and score for the last basket of the first half.

* Randall came alive in the second half, scoring on three straight possessions with the latter two from beyond the arc to go on a personal 7-0 run and give the Mammoths a five-point lead. Another Randall three a minute later put Amherst up, 42-36, with 16 minutes to play.

* The back-and-forth action continued as the Jumbos reeled off an 8-0 run to take the lead again on back-to-back 3-point plays by first-year guard Jon Medley with a traditional 3-point play and a basket from beyond the arc.

* The two sides traded blows until Champion scored to tie the game at 54-54 with two-and-a-half minutes to go. From there, Amherst held Tufts scoreless as the Jumbos missed their final five field goal attempts. Randall made a pair of free throws to give the Mammoths the lead and then hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game to put Amherst up by five with 40 seconds to play. First-year guard Marc Garraud shot 4-of-4 from the line in the final seconds to secure the win for the Mammoths.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Randall shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, all in the second half. His four 3-pointers were a career high for the 7-footer and his 16 points led all scorers.

* Junior center Will Scherer tallied nine rebounds and six assists for the Mammoths.

* Champion led the Jumbos with 15 points while Gyimesi tallied a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

* The Mammoths earned the win despite shooting just 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the floor, Amherst's lowest field-goal shooting percentage of the season, while the Jumbos shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59).