NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Charlie Randall scored a game-high 22 points and Will Scherer added 14 Saturday as the sixth-seeded Amherst College men's basketball team upset third-seeded Connecticut College in a NESCAC Tournament quarterfinal game at the The Charles B. Spruce Field House.

Amherst improved to 15-10 on the season and will face an yet to be determined opponent and a yet to be determined site Saturday, Feb. 24th in the semifinals. Conn. College fell to 18-7 on the season. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Mammoths built an 11-point lead over te game's first 20 minutes. They jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead and never relinquished the lead. Randall got his big half started with a lay-up on the Mammoths' first possession, and he and Will Scherer split the first four buckets en route to the 8-2 lead. 

* The Camels fought back, but a Randall jumper with 8:50 remaining in the half gave Amherst its first double-digit lead at 10 points, 25-15. Following a sequence in which neither team could score, Randall ended the drought with another jumper and Chris Hammond subsequently dropped in a lay-up for a 29-15 lead. 

* With 1:24 remaining in the half, Bobby Sommers scored a lay-in in transition and was fouled, hitting the free throw for a three-point play and the Mammoths' largest lead of the half at 37-22.  The Camels would score the final four points of the half to cut their deficit to 11 by the halftime break.

* Randall went 8 of 10 from the floor for 16 first-half points. He added 5 rebounds, matching Scherer's effort on the glass and helping Amherst to a 17-14 edge there. The Mammoths shot 59 percent (16 of 27) from the floor in the half, notching 12 assists on those 116 field goals. Comparatively, the Camels shot 37.5 percent (12 of 32), including 1 of 8 shooting from beyond the three-point line. 

* The Amherst lead fluctuated between 11 and 8 points for the first 10 minutes of the second half. A mini-run by the Camels made it a two-point game at 50-48 with 4:35 remaining. Sommers found Scherer on the left block in the paint and the big man put home a lay-up for a four-point lead. The Camels cut it back to two before Randall struck again, draining a foul line jumper with 3:30 to go that made it 54-50 Amherst. 

* After a Randall defensive rebound, Chris Hammod cut to the basket and hit a lay-in for a six-point advantage. Up 56-53 but with the Camels in possession, a Randall defensive rebound led to some fantastic ball movement on the offensive end for Amherst, and Sommers found an open Hammond in the right corner. Hammond drained the three-pointer with 1:20 remaining to make ot 59-53. 

* Up 59-55, Scherer found Randall underneath and the 7-footer did not miss, making it 61-55 with 43 seconds to go and all but seal the victory.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Randall had a double-double as he added a team-high 10 rebounds to his 22-point night. Scherer had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Hammond had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

* Amherst shot 48.2 percent (27 of 56) from the floor in the game, and had 22 assists on those 27 field goals. Four players had 3 or more assists with Sommers leading the team with 5. He also scored 8 points, while C.J. Mitchell added 7. 

* Amherst won the battle on the glass, 36-27. They hed the Camels to 37 percent (20 of 54) shooting from the floor, including just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc.