AMHERST, Mass. — For nearly two quarters on Wednesday night, the 17th-ranked Amherst College men's lacrosse team traded punches with 8th-ranked and undefeated Babson and looked poised to hand the Beavers their first loss of the season. But a dominant third quarter by Babson — a five-goal avalanche that broke open a tight game — proved decisive in a 15–11 victory at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.

Babson improved to 5-0 on the season while the Mammoths fell to 1-2. Amherst is ome Saturday at 12 p.m. for a conference battle with Bates. 

* The match-up opened at a sprint. Amherst struck first when Nate Cootauco buried a feed just 90 seconds in, and Bennett Chow doubled the lead moments later. But Babson quickly settled in, ripping off five straight goals to seize control. Sam Sisk scored twice in the run, and Patrick McAleavey, Andrew Berardi, and Joey Allen each added tallies as the Beavers closed the first quarter up 5–3.

* Amherst refused to fold. The Mammoths clawed back in the second quarter behind goals from Matthew Sheinberg and Max Youssefnia, eventually tying the game 6–6. But Babson's depth showed as the half wound down. Beau Burns, Braden Reilly, and Reid Vandenberg each found the net, sending the Beavers into halftime with an 8–7 edge.

* The third quarter, however, belonged entirely to Babson — and it changed everything.

* The Beavers erupted for five unanswered goals, dominating possession and faceoffs while Amherst struggled to clear the ball or generate sustained offense. Camden Matthews scored twice in the surge, while Sisk, Anthony Stillwell, and Seamus Rooney added goals of their own. Amherst was held scoreless in the frame, and by the time the fourth quarter began, Babson had built a commanding 13–7 lead.

* Amherst showed life late, scoring four times in the final period — including man-up goals from Chow and Cootauco — but the deficit was too large to overcome. Babson added insurance goals from Berardi and Bennett Smith, sealing the win and pushing their record to 5–0.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Sisk led Babson with three goals and an assist, while Matthews and Berardi each scored twice. Smith was a force at the face-off X, winning 23 of 29 draws and scooping 18 ground balls, giving the Beavers a massive possession advantage.

* Amherst (1–2) was paced by Cootauco and Chow with two goals apiece, while Bob Gross added a multi-point effort. Goalie Brooks Catlin made 11 saves in the loss.