Men’s basketball: Amherst opens NESCAC play with decisive win over Bates

AMHERST — The Amherst College men’s basketball team’s explosive second half powered the Mammoths to a 71-50 victory over Bates College on Friday night. The win came in the team’s first New England Small College Athletic Conference game of the season.

Down 35-32 at the halftime break, the Mammoths came back out with a vengeance. The squad caught fire from behind the 3-point line, hitting four deep looks before the midway point of the second half after just two in the first.

In the first nine minutes of the second half, Amherst went on a 21-3 run, taking a 53-38 lead. The Mammoths held strong through the rest of the frame, peaking with a 23-point lead with just over two minutes in regulation.

K.J. Neville hit three of the four quick second-half 3-pointers, putting together one of the best nights of his young collegiate career. The freshman finished with a career high 18 points and two blocks on Friday, adding eight rebounds and a steal.

“I just had to calm down,” Neville said of the halftime adjustments. “I think everybody on the team had to calm down. We wanted it so bad in the first half, we were just so up. [Once] everybody laid back, we just started putting the ball in the rim.”

On the defensive side, Amherst shut things down in the second half, surrendering just 15 points to the Bobcats in the final 20 minutes of play.

Amherst was relentless in pressuring both ball-handlers and passing lanes, forcing 11 Bates turnovers in the second half alone.

“I think the biggest thing was our activity on the defensive end of the floor,” Mammoths head coach Marlon Sears said. “I don’t know if the stat is correct, but I think we came out in the second half, and in the first 10 minutes, we had 10 to 12 deflections, which really, to me, that’s what triggers our offense.”

“It gives us a chance to get in transition,” Sears continued. “We did an excellent job in the second half of cleaning up the defensive backboards, and then we were really able to get in transition and put some pressure on their defense.”

Amherst also limited Bates’ scoring opportunities by rotating well and closing out on shooters. After knocking down four of their first 10 3-pointers, the Bobcats struggled to hit the long ball, making just one of their final 21 attempts down the stretch.

The two main scoring options for Bates couldn’t find consistency against the Mammoths on Friday. Babacar Pouye and Brady Coyne are each in the top-10 across the NESCAC in points per game, finishing Friday’s contest 3-of-10 and 4-of-15 from the field, respectively.

Amherst proved it’s a team that doesn’t rely on any star players to score the majority of its points on Friday, with five different players scoring eight points or more. The team came in with seven guys averaging over eight a game, showcasing the versatile offensive attack against Bates.

“That’s what makes this group really special,” Sears said. “Because on any given night, I think any of these guys can have 18 or 20. It’s a really special group. I’m glad I’m coaching them.”

Chris Hammond tallied 14 points on Friday, using his size and finesse to score from all three levels. The senior added five rebounds and three steals.

Drew Martin finished with 12 of his own for the Mammoths, getting inside and shooting an efficient 6-of-8 from the field. The junior brought down four rebounds and threw three assists as well.

With the win, Amherst improves to 11-3 on the season, starting NESCAC play 1-0. Conference matchups continue for the Mammoths on Friday, Jan. 16, when they hit the road to take on Trinity College at 7 p.m.

“[The win] means a lot, but you know, the saying,” Sears continued. “You’re only as good as your last performance. So now, we’ll take tomorrow off and get back after it on Sunday, and start the preparation for Trinity next Friday night.”