Contact: Matthew Hart
PAXTON, Mass. – Behind a career night from Connor Green '16, the No. 22 Amherst College men's basketball team cruised to a 94-67 non-conference win at Anna Maria College Tuesday night. Shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range, Green tallied 24 points, three steals, and a pair of assists -- all career bests -- while matching his high with seven rebounds.
The Lord Jeffs (8-2) enjoyed a 55.2 percent shooting performance on the night, with three others joining Green in double figures. David Kalema '14 was a lethal 8-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from long range, netting 20 points while also picking up four steals. Meanwhile, Allen Williamson '13 contributed 13 points and three steals and Peter Kaasila '13 also scored 13, connecting on an efficient 6-of-7 field goal attempts.
Dropping Anna Maria to 3-6, the Jeffs were able to withstand a 22-point, 13-board double-double from the AMCATS' Anthony Click '13 and a 41-39 rebounding edge for the hosts. In addition to their strong shooting night, Amherst put forth a defensive effort which forced 18 AMCAT turnovers and nabbed 12 steals.
Anna Maria kept it tight for the opening six minutes, taking its only lead of the contest, 10-9, on an old-fashioned three-point play by Tyler Delorey '16 with 14:15 remaining in the half. But Amherst responded with a decisive 14-0 run capped by a Ben Pollack '16 jumper that put the guests up 23-10 nine minutes into the contest. Green scored back-to-back buckets to put Amherst up 27-13 two minutes later and the Jeffs maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the half, taking a 43-29 lead into the locker room.
After shooting a red-hot 58.6 percent from the field in the opening frame and holding Anna Maria to a 36.7 percent clip, Amherst extended the lead to begin the second half, with Kalema's trifecta making it 60-41 just over six minutes into the frame. The AMCATS showed some spunk, rattling off a 9-1 run and making it an 11-point game when a Jaylen Dottin '16 bucket cut the Jeff lead to 61-50 with 12:10 to go. Green stroked a pair of rainmakers to bookend Amherst's ensuing 11-2 spurt, however, as the Jeffs pulled away over the final ten minutes.
After breaking for the holidays, Amherst will play one more contest before the New Year, traveling to New York City to face Medgar Evers on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m.