AMHERST, MA – Down by one point in the final ten seconds of the contest, first-year K.J. Neville drew a foul and converted both shots from the line to make the Amherst College men's basketball team outlast Colby College 65-64 on a heated Friday night at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Amherst improved to a 14-5 record on the season and a 3-2 record in NESCAC play. Colby fell to 13-6 overall and 1-4 in the conference. Up next, the Mammoths will host Bowdoin on Saturday in a battle back in LeFrak Gymnasium at 3 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*After a back-and-forth opening four minutes, junior Sam Hinman bucketed a three-pointer and a layup to give Colby an early 11-5 lead.
*Colby's defensive unit heated up to keep the Mammoths scoreless in live play for the following five minutes as the Mules extended their lead to 20-6.
*The Mammoths turned up the heat in the final seven minutes on the half as first-year Sherron Woodberry hit a three-pointer from the left corner, which senior Drew Martin followed with two back-to-back threes of his own. With 4:46 remaining, Martin fed to junior Marc Garraud at the opposite corner to bucket an emphatic, fadeaway three-pointer and make it a five-point game at 32-27.
*A free throw from Neville gave Amherst their first lead of the match with 1:09 to play, but two from first-year Mason Dobie gave the Mules the final word as the visitors closed the half ahead 38-37.
*Martin opened second-half scoring for Amherst with a jumper on Amherst's second possession, equalizing the contest at 39-39 with 18:33 to play.
*Strong defense from the Mules relegated the Mammoths to simple foul-shooting points for the next three minutes, until sophomore Elias Chin sped pole-to-pole on an offensive break to find Woodberry open at the corner. The guard quickly poured in three to regain Amherst's lead, 46-45.
*Colby answered with a 9-0 drive between 12:15 and 9:33 to gain their largest lead of the half with a 56-49 advantage. The effort was highlighted by layups from junior Savion Stroud and senior Max Poulton.
*Garraud led Amherst back into the game at 8:34 remaining, nailing a three-pointer from the corner. On the following Amherst possession, the guard drove through three defenders before netting a diving layup to reduce Colby's lead to one point at 58-57 with 7:28 to play.
*Picking up where he left off, Garraud returned at the fourth-minute mark to nail a three fed by Martin and edge Amherst back into the lead, 61-60.
*As Amherst tried to slow things down in the final 30 seconds, Stroud spoiled the Mammoths' plans, netting a layup with eleven ticks left to push Colby into a narrow 64-63 lead. In a frantic rush to net a field goal, Neville drew a foul in the paint to give Amherst their lifeline. Neville hit both shots from the line to lead Amherst to finish 65-64.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Colby held the advantage in field goal and free throw shooting, converting 45.8% (22-48) of field goals compared to Amherst's 34.6% (18-52), and finishing 84.2% (16-19) of free throws compared to Amherst's 76.9% (20-26). Amherst held a small advantage in three-point shooting, netting 28.1% (9-32) compared to Colby's 25% (4-16).
*Hinman scored the most points of any player, netting 17. Neville followed close behind with 15 points. Garraud scored 13 to come in third.
*Chin played a strong supportive role, making 4 assists and 2 blocks, both the most of any player in the contest. The guard also tied for the most rebounds, netting 6.
