AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College women's basketball team defeated Tufts University, 66-59, on Friday evening in the LeFrak Gymnasium behind 22 points from Laura Mendell.
 
The Mammoths (15-6, 4-4) will face Connecticut College in conference play at the LeFrak Gymnasium tomorrow at 3 p.m. There will be a Senior Day ceremony just prior to tip-off honoring seniors Maya Cwalina and Kori Barach.
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Mammoths got a jump on the Jumbos in quarter one with an eleven-point run. Cwalina secured a defensive rebound and made a decisive pass to Barach, who assisted Mendell to a layup with eight minutes and nine seconds on the clock. Macie Nugent followed suit to drain a jumper, and Mendell hit a three-pointer soon after. Reagan Pahl scored two points on a layup, and both Pahl and Mendell snagged a point on free throws. Mendell drained a three-pointer with 11 seconds left on the clock to send the Mammoths into the second quarter with a 17-9 advantage.
 
* Amherst went back and forth for the majority of the second quarter, with Pahl assisting Barach on a notable three-pointer with four minutes and 37 seconds on the clock. The Mammoths and Jumbos each scored 20 points before halftime, with the score sitting at 37-29.
 
* Annie McCarthy gained momentum for the Mammoths when she scored two consecutive free throws with six minutes and 54 seconds on the clock. Roughly 20 seconds later, Nugent drained a jumper to elevate the score to 43-33. Tufts snuck in a free throw point, but Cwalina responded with a layup with five minutes remaining in the quarter.  With two minutes and 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Mendell sank a three-pointer to elevate the score to 51-40 to conclude quarter three.
 
* The Jumbos crept back up, getting within three points of the Mammoths with two minutes and 51 seconds remaining in quarter four. The Mammoths responded with two points off of free throws from Mendell and a layup from Nugent. Pahl drained a layup with a little over a minute on the clock, and Mendell scored another free throw point to give Amherst some wiggle room with the score sitting at 62-54. In the final 25 seconds, the Mammoths racked up four points, attributed to Pahl and Mendell. The Mammoths secured victory in a 59-66 decision.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Reagan Pahl led the Mammoths in terms of rebounds, scoring 8 of the Mammoths' 33 rebounds. 
 
* Pahl also led in assists, scoring 6 out of the Mammoths' 10 assists over the four quarters.
 
* Mendell's 22 points comprised ? of the Mammoths total points.