LATE SURGE POWERS NO. 1 AMHERST OVER EMMANUEL
Dec. 6, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - Emmanuel College gave No.1 Amherst College a battle, before dropping an 84-60 non-conference women's hoop game on Tuesday night. The Saints were right in the mix, as the game featured 13 ties and five lead changes. Emmanuel battled the Lord Jeffs for thirty solid minutes, before Amherst went ahead for good with just over seven minutes to play in the game. After knotting the contest at 56-all, the host Lord Jeffs went on a 28-4 run to pull away and end the game with the twenty-four point win. The loss drops Emmanuel to 4-2 on the season, while Amherst remains unbeaten at 6-0.
Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Week Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) led Emmanuel with 22 points, while grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds. Senior guard Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.) hit for 21 points, on 8 for 12 shooting. Classmate Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in with 6 points and 4 rebounds in the effort for the Saints.
A Kirwan lay-up and a pair of free throws would be the only Emmanuel hoops over the final seven minutes of play. The 28-point spurt by the Lord Jeffs during this stretch would be too much for the Saints to overcome and Amherst surged out to the 84-60 win.
Amherst freshman Megan Robertson led the Lord Jeffs with game-highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes. Robertson was perfect from the free throw line, as the rookie went 10 for 10 from the stripe. Lem Stanga McCormick added 18 points, 7 boards and 4 assists, while Kim Fiorentino netted 12 points for the hosts. Shannon Finucane dished out a game-high 8 assists in the win for Amherst.
The Saints committed 19 turnovers, to just 11 by the Lord Jeffs. Amherst out-rebounded Emmanuel, 43-39. The hosts shot 40.6% from the field and 88.5% from the line, knocking down 23 of 26 freebies, in the win. The victory extended Amherst's home winning streak to 54 games.