THOUSAND OAKS, CA – A balanced offensive effort pushed the Amherst College men's basketball team past California Lutheran University, 71-63, on Wednesday afternoon at Gilbert Arena.
Amherst improved to a 9-3 record while Cal Lutheran dropped to 6-5 overall. The Mammoths will open 2026 with a battle against Wesleyan, who they will host at LeFrak Gymnasium at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*Cal Lutheran pulled away to a 6-0 lead in the opening two minutes, riding one three point apiece from sophomore Aidan Crawford and sophomore Ryder Mjoen.
*Senior Drew Martin fed to first-year K.J. Neville behind the left side of the arch to bucket Amherst's first points of the game at 17:29 remaining, 6-3.
*Sophomore Elias Chin and first-year Sherron Woodberry partnered up between 15:35 and 14:08 to bucket two three-pointers from the left side, giving the Mammoths an 11-10 lead.
*A 6-0 push from the Mammoths, highlighted by a Neville layup and a jump shot from senior Chris Hammond, pushed Amherst's lead to 28-18 with 6:47 to play.
*Sophomore Tony Angelo drove under the iron, then fed to first-year PJ Jourdain for an emphatic layup that tightened the gap to 28-24 with 4:19 remaining.
*The Kingsman offense heated up in the first two minutes of the second half, making it a one-point game at 40-39 following points from a driving layup from senior Ze'ev Remer and two successful Mjoen free throws.
*A strong collaborative effort between junior Marc Garraud and Woodberry helped Amherst control its lead as the duo poured in eleven points between 18:07 and 14:57. Garraud opened with a right-wing three-pointer and two free throws, while Woodberry followed with two Neville-fed threes to close the drive and extend Amherst's lead to 54-39.
*Junior Matthew Verkamp weakened Amherst's lead to single digits with a layup from the paint at 7:39 remaining. Sophomore Josh DeVore followed up 20 seconds later with a three-pointer that brought the contest to 59-53.
*Following buckets from either side, Verkamp netted a three-pointer with 45 seconds left to keep Cal Lutheran's hopes alive, but tight defense from the Mammoths maintained Amherst's gap to close the game 71-63.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Amherst held the offensive advantage, shooting 39.2% (20-51) compared to 30% (21-70) of field goals, 34.8% (8-23) compared to 22.5% (9-40) of three-pointers, and 76.7% (23-30) compared to 70.6% (12-17) of free throws.
*Verkamp was the leading scorer, netting 17 points. Garraud followed close behind, scoring 15 points. Neville led for the most assists, passing 6.
*Hammond recorded the only double-double of the contest, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, the most of the game.
