AMHERST, MA – Senior Chris Hammond netted a career-high 15 rebounds, alongside a game-high 18 points, to help lead the Amherst College men's basketball team to an 81-44 victory over Bowdoin College in a hot-shooting affair on Saturday afternoon at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Amherst improved to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in NESCAC play, while Bowdoin fell to a 13-7 record and 3-3 in the conference. Up next, the Mammoths will host Tufts back in LeFrak Gymnasium on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*Following a slow Amherst start, junior Ben Chilson and sophomore Ray Cuevas punished the Mammoths with back-to-back three-pointers to give Bowdoin an early 11-5 lead with 15:09 to play.
*The momentum turned back in favor of Amherst two minutes later as junior Nate Pabis fed to Hammond in the paint to nail a jumper. At 12:08, a three from junior Marc Garraud pushed the Mammoths into the lead at 12-11.
*Amherst continued to keep things hot between 9:13 and 7:04 remaining as sophomore Elias Chin and first-year K.J. Neville partnered up to net a layup and a three-pointer, respectively, to make it 20-13. Four shots from the line by Chin then extended the contest to 24-15.
*Hammond and Garraud continued to produce for the Mammoths in the final two minutes of the half, each bucketing threes from the wing to give Amherst a 34-23 lead heading into intermission.
*The Mammoths picked up where they left off at the start of the second half as first-year Sherron Woodberry netted a three from the corner at 19:18 to play.
*The following four minutes were slow for Amherst as strong defense from the Polar Bears, including two steals from first-year Mason Dawkins, led the visitors to make it a ten-point game at 37-27.
*The Mammoths quickly answered with a 9-0 drive between 16:32 and 15:00. Chin picked off a Bowdoin pass, then sped pole-to-pole on the breakaway to net a layup and inspire the drive. Hammond followed up 30 seconds later with a three-pointer fed by Neville. Across the next minute, senior Drew Martin added two points with an emphatic dunk, then forced a turnover and found Chin back in the paint for two more, 46-27.
*Both sides traded threes in the next five minutes to push the contest to 57-38.
*A layup from Hammond at 9:32 led off another scoring streak for Amherst as the Mammoths poured in 14 unanswered points within a five-minute span, 71-38.
*Foul shooting dominated the final three minutes as junior Zane Adnan converted both of his shots from the line in the final minute to give Amherst the 81-44 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Amherst held the offensive advantage, converting 45.9% (28-61) of field goals compared to 27.5% (14-51) from Bowdoin, shooting 30% (9-30) of three-pointers compared to 18.8% (6-32), and netting 80% (16-20) of free throws compared to 58.8% (10-17).
*Hammond was the only player to record a double-double, netting 18 points and 15 rebounds, both the highest figures of the game.
