SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Behind 18 points from senior Chris Hammond and 17 points from sophomore Elias Chin, the Amherst College Men's Basketball team pushed for a comeback against Springfield College, but ultimately fell 70-64 on Tuesday night at Blake Arena.
Amherst dropped to 2-1 for the season while Springfield improved to a 2-2 record. The Mammoths will stay on the road to face Sarah Lawrence College next, who they'll challenge on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Noyes Court.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*After a tightly contested first two minutes, a ten-point run from 17:22 to 14:20 remaining propelled Springfield to a 15-4 advantage. The stretch was highlighted by a layup and a three-pointer from senior Josiah Evely.
*The Mammoths quickly retaliated with their own 13-3 run in the next five minutes. Hammond led off with an emphatic three-pointer, which senior Drew Martin followed with a layup. Junior Marc Garraud bucketed a three-pointer at 9:26 remaining to make it a one-point game at 18-17.
*Both sides traded buckets until the break. Off a fast break, first-year Sherron Woodberry poured in four points in the final two minutes to help keep Amherst tight on the Pride's heels, 38-31.
*In the opening three minutes of the second half, junior Xoren Livingston and sophomore Hunter Matteson added points from the paint to extend Springfield's lead to 48-36 with 17:19 remaining.
*The Mammoth offensive unit heated up throughout the next four minutes, with Hammond and Garraud partnering up to notch an 8-0 run for Amherst. A three-pointer from Hammond opened the sequence, while Garraud supplemented with a layup, jumper, and free throw to reduce Springfield's lead to five points at 51-46.
*Trailing 64-56 with 2:34 remaining, Chin netted a layup and a free throw to help make it 64-60 with one minute to play. But strong defense flattened Amherst's hopes as successful Springfield free throws extended the score to 70-62. Chin added one final layup in the final six seconds to close the contest 70-64.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Springfield held the offensive advantage, leading 39.2% (20-51) to 32.3% (20-62) in field goals converted, 40% (6-15) to 25% (8-32) in three points converted, and 82.8% (24-29) to 72.7% in free throws converted.
*Hammond notched the most points of the night, scoring 18 overall with 12 from three-pointers alone. Chin and Hunter followed close behind with 17 points.
