WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Senior Bobby Sommers scored 22 points while C.J. Mitchell added 13 and Chris Hammond 11 Thursday night, more than enough to lead the Amherst College men's basketball team to a 77-59 win over host Westfield State at the Owls' Woodward Center.

Amherst improved to 6-2 on the season while Westfield State fell to 6-3. Next up for the Mammoths is a home game Saturday vs,. Mount St. Mary's. Tip-off is 12 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Sommers started hot right out of the game, draining a three-pointer 38 seconds into the contest for a 3-0 Mammoth lead. A Mitchell lay-up and a Hammond trey made it 8-0 Amherst with 18:12 to go in the half. 

* The Owls roared back to tie the game 8-all, but Mammoth first year Elias Chin answered with a three-ball of his own to regain the lead for the visitors, 11-8.. Moments later, a Drew Martin lay-up extended that to 13-8.

* Amherst maintained a five-point lead until 12:58 remained when Sommers was fouled in the act of shooting and made both free throws for a 17-10 lead. Noah Helmke assisted on another Martin lay-in and it was suddenly 19-10 Amherst. 

* The Amherst lead stayed intact until sophomore Johnny McCain knocked down a three-pointer following a Will Scherer defensive rebound at the other end. The score remained 25-17 for nearly three full minutes until Marc Garraud came up with a steal that led to a Sommers transition lay-up and a 10-point Amherst lead with 4:53 left in the half. 

* Amherst led by as many as 15 -- following a Mitchell jumper - before heading into the locker room at half up 10, 36-26. 

* Amherst sot 44.9 percent (13 of 29) from the floor over the first 20 minutes. 

*  Westfield State made numerous runs at the Mammoths' lead in the second half and trailed by only six at 55-49, but Amherst pulled away with a 14-1 spurt from the 7:25 mark to the 3:19 mark of the second half, spurred by seven points in that span from Sommers, who converted a dunk off a turnover and then capped the run with a 3-pointer that gave the Mammoths a 69-50 edge with 3:19 remaining. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* The Mammoths shot 48.3 percent (14 of 29) from the floor in the final 20 minutes, and had a significant 18-10 edge on the glass. For the game they had a 41-31 edge in rebounds. 

* Sommers added 8 rebounds to his 22-point night. Hammond added 6 assists to his 11-point evening. Scherer finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Chin scored 8 points and added 4 assists.