AMHERST, Mass. – Amherst College defeated Lasell College in a non-conference men's basketball contest this evening 69-52 at the LeFrak Gymnasium. The win marked the sixth straight for the Jeffs who improved to 18-5 overall. With the loss, the Lasers fall to 6-15 on the year.
Amherst Head Coach David Hixon '75 coached his 1,000th game in the victory. Hixon is in his 38th season at the helm of the Amherst College men's basketball program and has amassed 738 wins with just 262 losses for a .738 winning percentage. He has etched his named in the NCAA men's basketball record books as one of the winningest coaches ever. Prior to the start of the season, his 720 wins were fourth most all-time among Division III coaches and 30th in all divisions. During his tenure, he has helped guide the Jeffs to two national championships (2006-07 and 2012-13), seven NESCAC titles and 16 NCAA tournament appearances.
Lasell was led by junior Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) and senior Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Marchand also led the team in rebounds (9) and assists (4). Joining him with a team-high nine boards was freshman Dannie Moore (Orlando, Fla.).
Four players scored in double-figures for the Purple and White as David George '17 led the way with a double-double. The sophomore scored a game-high 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked four shots, recorded three steals and dished out two assists. He was joined by Johnny McCarthy '18 with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Rounding out the top scorers were Connor Green '16 and Jacob Nabatoff '17 with 10 each, while Reid Berman '17 dished out seven assists.
Amherst came out hot to open the game and jumped out to a 19-4 lead within the first 7:28 of play as Racy capped off the run with a three-pointer at the 12:32 mark. A jumper by Marchand roughly a minute later snapped the streak, but a trey from Green on the Jeffs ensuing possession gave Amherst its largest lead of the first half, up 22-6 with 11:08 to play before the break.
The Lasers, however, slowly cut into the deficit with help by Marchand as a jumper by the junior forward at the 5:38 mark put the game into single digits. In the closing minutes, Lasell scored four unanswered to trail by six, 35-29, but the Jeffs closed out the half by outscoring the visitor's 9-2 to take a 13-point lead into halftime.
The second half was all Amherst as a 6-0 run gave the Purple & White a 54-38 lead with 14:48 to play in regulation. Leading by double-digits the majority of the half, a three-pointer by Anthony Simmons cut the lead to eight with 5:41 remaining, but Michael Riopel '18 answered with a jumper. Amherst pulled away in the closing minutes to claim the 17-point win.
As a team, the Jeffs shot 41.8% (23-55) from the floor, 31.8% (7-22) from three-point range and 61.5% (16-26) from the charity stripe. They held a 43-40 edge in rebounding and 7-1 advantage in blocks. The Lasers shot 35.5% (22-62) from the floor, 22.7% (5-22) from downtown and 42.9% (3-7) from the free throw line.
The Lasers resume home contest play on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:00 p.m. for a crucial Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup against Anna Maria. The Jeffs return to the court Sunday, Feb. 15 and will head to Middlebury for their final regular-season game of the 2014-15 campaign. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.