ARLINGTON, Va. – Despite holding a tight lead for most of the game, the Mammoths fell against the Saints 45-57 after a pivotal 13-0 run late into the second half pushed Marymount past Amherst in the final of the Coto Tournament Sunday afternoon.

Amherst dropped to 4-2 on the season while Marymount advanced to a 5-1 record. The Mammoths will return home after the holiday break to face the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts next Tuesday, December 3^rd, at 7 p.m. in the LeFrak Gym.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

*The Mammoths blasted off on an early 9-2 run in the first five minutes thanks to two threes from junior Chris Hammond and senior C.J. Mitchell. Senior Will Scherer converted two free throws and sophomore Marc Garraud added one to give Amherst a seven-point lead.

*The Saints and Mammoths would swap buckets for the next five minutes until Marymount notched a shot from the arc and a layup from the paint to secure the equalizer.

*Garraud gave the Mammoths a five-point lead towards the end of the stanza after Hammond found him at the arc to sink a three-pointer and Scherer later passed to him in the paint to bucket a jumper. Garraud closed the half as Amherst's top scorer, adding eight points to the half's 21-20 finish.

*Following strong defense from both sides at the start of the second half, the Mammoths managed to maintain their lead for the first eight minutes of the period. Both teams struggled to convert from live gameplay and relied mostly on free throws, with senior Ryker Vance and Scherer making critical free throws to help the Mammoths to keep their lead.

*Marymount broke ahead with eleven minutes remaining following a dangerous 13-0 run from the Saints. Amherst struggled to find the net while fifth-year guard Marcus Stubbs made three shots from the arc to give Marymount the breakthrough they needed.

*The Saints led for the rest of the game, despite a three from Hammond and a floating jump shot from Mitchell narrowing their lead.

BY THE NUMBERS:

*The Mammoths closed the night shooting 25% (14-56) from the floor compared to 35.1% (20-57) from the Saints. While Amherst held a narrow advantage in free throws conversions, 76.5% to 75%, the Saints secured a stronger accuracy in three-pointer attempts, 38.1% to 22.2%.

*Garraud and Stubbs tied as the game's top scorers, both notching 13 each. Garraud also led in assists, making 5, the most in the game. Defensively, Vance led as the game's top blocker, blocking five shots from the Saints.