Amherst College's David George '17 and Connor Green '16 combined to score 54 points and the nationally ranked No. 18 Lord Jeffs held on for a 93-86 NESCAC win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday night.
Box Score
Amherst (1-0 NESCAC, 9-2) shot 56.9 percent, including 12 of 24 from beyond the arc, and held a 33-23 advantage in rebounds. The Jeffs have won seven straight games against the Continentals.
George made 9 of 10 shots from the floor and went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line for a game-high 29 points. He also led all players with eight rebounds.
Green nailed five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for the winners. Johnny McCarthy '18 scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half and Jayde Dawson '18 added 13. Reid Berman '17 handed out five assists off the bench.
For Hamilton (0-1, 10-3), Joseph Lin '15 dished out a program-record 16 assists, dropped in 16 points and was credited with three steals. Lin's double-double was the second of his collegiate career -- he had 19 points and 11 assists in a win at Ithaca College on Dec. 30.
Peter Kazickas '15 paced the Continentals with 17 points, Joe Pucci '18 netted a season-high 16 and Ajani Santos '16 finished with 16 points and seven boards. Wes Wilbur '17 had nine points and three blocked shots off the bench. Hamilton committed just five turnovers.
There were seven ties and six lead changes in the opening 11 minutes of the first half. A 3-pointer by McCarthy gave Amherst the lead for good at 28-25 with 8:42 left in the half.
The Continentals were still within four points at 36-32 after Pucci drained a jumper with 3:02 remaining before the break. The Jeffs scored the last eight points of the half for a 44-32 lead as the teams went to their locker rooms. McCarthy started the run with a layup, Dawson converted a three-point play and capped the spurt with a 3-pointer with 32 seconds to go.
Amherst's lead grew to as many as 18 points in the second half and the Jeffs led by double digits until the final two minutes.Trailing 82-69 with 2:29 left, Hamilton went on a 9-1 run and pulled within five points at 83-78 with 1:03 remaining. Santos scored seven of those nine points on five free throws and a layup. Amherst held on for the win with 8-of-9 shooting from the line in the final minute. The Continentals shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half.
Hamilton hosts Trinity College for another NESCAC game on Saturday, Jan. 10. The Jeffs travel to rival Williams College for more NESCAC action on Saturday.
