AMHERST, Mass. – A late push from the Mammoths, highlighted by a three-pointer from senior C.J. Mitchell and eight back-to-back free throws, gave the Amherst men's basketball team the momentum they needed to claim a 75-67 win over Middlebury College Friday night.

Amherst improved to 12-11 overall and 3-6 in the NESCAC, while Middlebury fell to 12-11 and 3-6 in the conference. The Mammoths will return to host their final game of the regular season with a Senior Day showdown against Williams at 3 pm on Saturday in LeFrak Gymnasium.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

*Mitchell set the tone early for the Mammoths after sinking a three-pointer from behind the arc to give Amherst their first lead of the night with a 3-2 advantage over the Panthers.

*After falling behind 9-5 against Middlebury, junior Drew Martin caught the ball in the corner and passed to sophomore Marc Garraud at the wing. The guard made a shot fake to lose his defender before sinking a three-pointer to make it a one-point game at 9-8 with 10:49 to play.

*An 8-1 run from Middlebury allowed the Panthers to explode ahead of Amherst 20-13, but a three-pointer from junior Chris Hammond with 6:42 remaining helped the Mammoths weaken the margin to 20-16. Two minutes later, sophomore Marc Garraud hit back-to-back three-pointers to regain the Mammoths' lead at 25-24

*The final three minutes of the stanza were a back-and-forth affair as both sides traded jumpers. As the last four seconds ticked away, Martin sunk a three-pointer from the corner to close the half 39-38 with the Mammoths down by one.

*Amherst blasted off early in the second half as Mitchell netted a jumper, senior Will Scherer scored a layup, and senior Ryker Vance slammed a dunk in the opening three minutes to give Amherst a 44-39 lead.

*The Panthers responded with a 7-2 rally of their own in the next seven minutes. A layup and two successful free throws from Middlebury first-year Maxwell Alberts helped the visitors fight back to recapture the lead at 52-51 with 9:52 to play.

*Mitchell led the Mammoths on a final offensive push with a three-pointer and a layup between 5:11 and 3:50 remaining to give Amherst a 5-point cushion at 64-59. With three minutes to go, Vance added a free throw, and Scherer notched a dunk fed by first-year Elias Chin to give the Mammoths an 8-point lead over the Panthers at 67-59.

*A 6-point response from Middlebury highlighted by two back-to-back three-pointers from Middlebury first-year Sawyer Ramey and sophomore Kuba Cwalina closed the gap to 67-65 with 1:45 to play, but the final 90 seconds saw the Mammoths close the game with eight consecutive free throws, finishing for a 75-67 win.

BY THE NUMBERS:

*Amherst held an advantage in field goals converted, shooting 43.4% (26-60) compared to 34.4% (22-64) from the Panthers. Middlebury netted a higher average in three-pointers and free throws, scoring 39.4% of three-pointers compared to 37%, and 90.9% of free throws compared to 72.2% from the Mammoths.

*Middlebury senior Sam Stevens was the game's leading scorer with 26 points. Off the Amherst Bench, Scherer, Garraud, and Mitchell each scored 15 points with Vance close behind at 13. Chin notched a game-high lead in assists with 7.

*Scherer was the only player to net a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The center also led in blocks made, denying 4.