AMHERST, Mass. – Behind a career-high 26-point performance from junior Nate Pabis, the Amherst College men's basketball team stormed past the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with an 82-62 victory on Wednesday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Amherst improved to 6-1 on the season while MCLA fell to a 1-4 record. Up next, the Mammoths will host Westfield State in their final contest before the holiday break, facing the Owls in LeFrak Gymnasium at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*Junior Zane Adnan produced the first points of the game, bucketing a rebound from the paint to give Amherst a 2-0 lead after 19 seconds of play.
*MCLA's offensive unit heated up in the following two minutes as the visitors claimed a 7-2 lead. The drive was highlighted by two layups from senior Craig Williams and a right-flank three-pointer from first-year Frank Field.
*First-year K.J. Neville and Pabis helped Amherst close the gap to 13-12 with 13:45 remaining as the duo hit back-to-back three-pointers within a 37-second span. A free throw from Neville with 12:33 remaining equalized the contest at 13-13.
*A three-pointer apiece from Pabis and first-year Ryan Hempfling at 11:38 and 10:47, respectively, edged Amherst past MCLA at 20-13. The visitors quickly retaliated, riding two free throws and a left-wing three-pointer from senior Jayden Mills to decrease Amherst's lead to 20-18.
*After a series of free throws took the game to 29-26 in favor of Amherst, the Mammoths coalesced in the final five minutes to gain their largest lead of the night. Layups from junior Marc Garraud and Pabis edged the game to 35-29, while a feed from Neville to junior Johnny McCain outside the arch poured in three more points for Amherst, closing the half at 44-29.
*Amherst entered the first half with momentum as Neville rattled home a three-pointer from the top of the arch with only 27 seconds on the clock.
*Both sides traded buckets between 17:06 and 16:46 remaining as Williams and Pabis hit three-pointers at either pole to make it 55-34.
*MCLA weakened Amherst's lead to 59-48 in the following five minutes. Graduate-student Jaxen Potter and first-year Sol Mierzwa each bucketed layups while junior Colin Quinn dribbled into the paint to secure a jumper with 10:01 to play.
*With nine minutes remaining, both sides poured in points as three players bucketed shots from behind the arch: first-year Sherron Woodberry, Potter, and Pabis.
* Mills dribbled into the paint, then found graduate-student Colby Burleson open at the left flank of the arch, who sank a three-pointer with 7:20 remaining to make it a ten-point game at 69-59.
*The final five minutes were a defensive battle as Amherst rode free throws from Pabis and Neville to maintain their cushion against MCLA, clinching the 82-62 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Amherst held a slight offensive advantage, shooting 42.1% (24-57) of field goals compared to 33.9% (19-56) from MCLA. The Mammoths also led in three-pointers and free throws converted, making 32.3% of three-pointer attempts to MCLA's 30.8%, and 82.8% of free throws compared to 72.7% from the visitors.
*Pabis was the game's leading scorer, bucketing a career-high 26 points for Amherst. Williams followed close behind with 21.
*Field was the only player to score a double-double, netting 11 points and 11 rebounds.
