No. 3/7 Amherst Outlasts Women's Hoops in 58-53 Tilt

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel, 53 vs. No. 3/7 Amherst, 58

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (3-1)
Amherst College Mammoths (4-0)

Location: Amherst, Mass. – LeFrak Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2022

THE LEAD – Emmanuel College gave No. 3/7 Amherst College all it could handle on Tuesday evening in NCAA Division III Women's Basketball action that saw the Mammoth hold on for a 58-53 non-conference win at LeFrak Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Trailing by 22 points early in the fourth quarter, the Saints mounted a 19-0 run to battle back to a single possession at 56-53 following a triple by junior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) with 2:10 to play.
• Emmanuel had two offensive possessions to try and even the score down the stretch but each resulted in a turnover including a controversial call with 19 seconds remaining on a play that appeared to be tipped at midcourt by an Amherst player but was whistled as a backcourt violation by the Saints.
• The Mammoths connected on two of four free throws over the final seconds of play to secure the 58-53 win despite EC's impressive showing of grit over the final nine minutes of action.
• The Saints came out of the gates fast, jumping ahead to an 8-2 lead in the opening quarter behind strong post play from juniors Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) and Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) as well as a pair of hoops from sophomore guard Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China).
• Amherst got to within one by the end of the frame, trailing 13-12 heading into the second quarter.
• The Mammoths took the lead for good on the first possession of the second quarter on a jumper by AnLing Vera (Cerritos, Calif.), going on to outscore EC by a 23-13 margin in the frame and carry a 35-26 lead into the break.
• Amherst held the Saints to single digits in the third quarter for the first time all season en route to a 19-8 margin in the frame to give the hosts a comfortable 54-34 lead through three before the fourth quarter fireworks by EC to cap an exciting finish of the two NCAA powerhouse programs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Mammoths forced the Saints into 26 turnovers while holding them to a season-low in points (53) and shooting percentage (36.4%).
• Chan led all scorers with a season-high 20 points while first year Megan Reilly (Southbury, Conn.) added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting along with eight boards.
• Amherst junior Reeya Patel (Saline, Mich.) posted a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Kori Barach (Carlisle, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points.
• EC head coach Andy Yosinoff and Amherst head Coach GP Gromacki entered the action with a combined 1,400 coaching wins (Yosinoff – 881 / Gromacki - 519).
• The Mammoths are ranked No. 3 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches' Association Poll (WBCA) with 220 votes and No. 7 in the D3Hoops.com poll with 455 votes.

UP NEXT

• The Saints hit the road again on Saturday, December 3 for their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match up of the season, matching up against Albertus Magnus at 1:00 PM in New Haven, Conn.
• Amherst is idle until Sunday, December 4 when they travel to Jersey City, N.J. to take on NJ City University at 3:00 PM.