Women's Hoops Storms Past #1 Amherst, 60-55

THE BASICS 

Score: Emmanuel College, 60; #1 Amherst College, 55

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (4-3, 0-0 GNAC)
#1 Amherst College Mammoths (3-1, 0-0 NESCAC)

Location: Amherst, Mass. – LeFrak Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2019

THE LEAD: Emmanuel College scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter to take a double-digit lead, propelling the Saints to a 60-55 road victory over #1 Amherst College in non-conference women's basketball action on Tuesday evening at LeFrak Gymnasium.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Sophomore Loredana D'Agostino (Broad Brook, Conn.) scored five straight points to give Emmanuel (4-3) the lead for good, kicking off a Saints run that turned a 41-40 Amherst lead into a 51-41 edge for the visitors with just 4:35 left in regulation.

Senior Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.), who scored a game-high 25 points, added to the lead with a jump shot to put Emmanuel ahead 47-41, and then capped the rally with a pair of free throws for the first double-digit lead of either side.

Madeline Eck hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to as little as five with fourteen seconds left and Hannah Fox converted a layup with just two ticks on the clock, but senior Kayla Weaver (West Haven, Conn.) knocked down both of her free throws to secure the win for Emmanuel.

Ramirez-Tejeda had 10 points and five rebounds in the first half as the visitors took a one-point lead after the first period and a 23-19 advantage at the break.

Amherst was held to just three made field goals in each of the first two quarters and ended the half 6-31 from the floor (19.4%). They wound up shooting much better in the second half, including 8-15 in the third quarter, the only quarter in which they outscored Emmanuel, as they took a two-point lead into the final frame.

Cam Hendricks '20 made a layup to open the fourth quarter and Fox gave Amherst their final lead on a three-pointer with 7:41 to play in the game after Ramirez-Tejeda had answered with two layups.

Gabby Zaffiro '22 had eleven points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals for the Mammoths. Courtney Resch '22 had six boards herself, along with six points and three blocks.

The Mammoths took their largest leads of the first half on two three-pointers by Fox, the first making it 9-4 at the near midpoint of the first quarter.

Fox struck again from long range at 5:13 of the second quarter to give Amherst a 19-15 lead, but the Saints ended the half on an 8-0 run.

Fiin gave Emmanuel the lead with a three-pointer and extended the lead to four with a layup before the halftime whistle, 23-19.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The win marks the second time in program history that the Saints have defeated the top team in the country. In 2005, Emmanuel bested #1 Bowdoin by a 65-61 score in Boston to hand the Polar Bears its first loss of the 2004-05 campaign.
• The win over a ranked opponent is Emmanuel's first of the season and the first win over a top-25 team since EC stunned undefeated No. 8/10 Saint Joseph's College (ME) last year in the GNAC Championship game, 65-64.
• Ramirez-Tejeda led the Saints on the glass with 10 rebounds, and also had three steals, a number matched by teammate
• D'Agostino finished the night with nine points, going 3-for-3 from the charity stripe, while junior Jamad Fiin (Boston, Mass.) had eight points off the bench including 2-for-3 from long range.
• Sophomore Riley Lahiff (Attleboro, Mass.) added six points and five rebounds.
• Weaver dished out a game-high four assists and also scored six points for Emmanuel.
• Amherst out-rebounded Emmanuel 26-17 at halftime, with Eck pulling down a game-high six boards in the first half. The final rebound totals were also in favor of Amherst, 39-34.
• Kate Sullivan '21 had three helpers, a steal and a block off the bench for the Mammoths.
• Amherst suffered their first loss of the season despite 21 points from Hannah Fox '20 and a double-double (13 points/11 rebounds) from Madeline Eck '20.

UP NEXT

• The Saints return to action on Saturday afternoon, heading across the river to take on MIT at 2:00 PM in more non-conference action.
• The Mammoths travel to Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday at 1:00 PM. The Warriors handed Amherst their first loss in over two seasons last year in LeFrak Gymnasium.

*Some release content courtesy of Amherst College Athletic Communications