AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College men's basketball team stayed in the hunt for the Little Three title with a 55-41 win over Williams College on Wednesday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.

Meeting in a non-conference clash, the Mammoths (11-7) picked up their third straight win and halted the Ephs' four-game winning streak, preventing Williams (13-4) from clinching the Little Three championship. The Mammoths can clinch at least a share of the Little Three title with a win at Wesleyan on Jan. 26. That result combined with a Wesleyan win over Williams on Feb. 3 would earn the Mammoths the title outright.

The Mammoths return to action on Saturday (Jan. 20), hosting defending NESCAC champion Hamilton at 3 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Mammoths got off to a hot start and never trailed, opening the game on a 10-0 run that was capped by a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore forward Charlie Randall on back-to-back possessions.

* Junior guard Noah Dinkins got the Ephs on the board with a three of his own to cut the Amherst lead to seven, but that was as close as Williams got the score. A 3-pointer from junior forward Noah Helmke restored a 10-point Amherst lead with just under 13 minutes to play in the first half and the Mammoths kept the lead in double figures for the rest of the game.

* Junior guard Bobby Sommers brought the LeFrak crowd to its feet with just under two minutes to play in the first half. Junior forward Ryker Vance blocked a shot and classmate C.J. Mitchell collected the rebound. Mitchell dished to Sommers, who got free on the fast break and slammed down a dunk to give the Mammoths a 27-8 lead.

* Dinkins followed with eight straight points for the Ephs to cap a first half in which he scored 14 of Williams' 16 points. A layup by Vance in the final seconds of the half gave the Mammoths a 29-16 halftime lead.

* A 9-0 run early in the second half built the Amherst lead to 20 points. After junior center Will Scherer scored on three straight possessions, senior guard Mohammed Alausa put in a layup with just under 15 minutes to play to give the Mammoths a 40-20 lead.

* The Mammoths kept the lead at least 14 points for the rest of the game, shooting 45 percent (9-of-20) from the floor in the second half to secure the victory.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Sommers led three Mammoths in double figures with 13 points. Scherer added 12 points and Randall tallied 10 points.

* The Mammoths held a 46-32 advantage in rebounds as Randall collected nine boards to lead the way.

* Amherst held a distinct advantage in shooting 42.9 percent (21-of-49) from the floor while holding Williams to 25.9 percent (15-of-58) shooting. Neither side did much damage from beyond the arc as the Mammoths shot 3-of-16 and the Ephs were 4-of-23.

* Dinkins led the Ephs with 23 points, accounting for over half of the Williams total on the scoreboard.

* The victory gave the Mammoths at least one win over Williams for the 13th straight season.