Bobcats force 37 Jeff turnovers, end six-game Amherst win streak
AMHERST, Mass. The Bates College
Bobcats knocked down 17 of their first 21 shots after halftime,
blowing open what had been an 18-point lead at the break en route
to an 81-54 win over host Amherst College in NESCAC conference
action on Saturday.
The Jeffs stayed with the Bobcats, ranked second
in New England in last week's WBCA poll, throughout much of the
first half, led by senior Co-captain Naomi Sullivan (Hudson,
MA), who had eight of her game-high 24 points in the first
8:47. But tied at 15, Bates went on a 23-5 run to close the half,
led by junior forward Kate McLaughlin (Laconia, NH), who
posted 12 of her team-best 19 points, and eight of her nine rebounds
in the opening half.
Freshman Amherst point guard Sara Bozorg
(Amherst, MA) knocked down a three-pointer at the 19:38 mark
of the second half to close the Jeffs to within 17, before Bates
went on a game-breaking 12-0 run, six of which came from senior
Co-captain Jolene Thurston (Post Mills, VT).
The Jeffs would get no closer than 24 after
the Bobcat run, as Bates turned a season-high 37 Amherst turnovers
into 31 points. Senior Bates Co-captain Emily King (Lebanon,
NH) scored eight of her 11 points after halftime, and the
Bobcats shot an incredible 20-30 from the field in the period,
after a 14 for 38 (36.8 percent) performance in the opening half.
For the game, the Bobcats recorded assists
on 28 of their 34 field goals, including six each from Thurston
and freshman Marcy Grossman (Eastsound, WA), while Amherst's
turnover problems limited them to only 46 shots for the game,
of which they converted 17.
After Sullivan's game-high 24 points, sophomore
Hallison Putnam (Lexington, KY) contributed eight points
and eight rebounds off the bench, while freshman Amherst forward
Sarah Walker (West Hartford, CT) was held to seven points
and eight rebounds by the swarming Bobcat defense.
The 81 points scored by Bates was the most
allowed by Amherst all season, as the Jeffs saw their six-game
winning streak snapped. The Bobcats (13-3, 2-1 NESCAC) return
home to face Hamilton College next Friday, while the Jeffs (10-5,
2-1 NESCAC) head to New England College on Tuesday night for a
non-conference battle.
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| Amherst (10-5, 2-1 NESCAC) |
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Bates (81) McLaughlin 7-14 5-6 19, King 5-8 1-1 11, Grossman 4-6 0-2 9, Dockery 4-7 0-0 9, Thurston 4-8 0-0 8, Golobski 4-7 0-0 8, Williamson 3-7 0-0 6, Thomson 1-1 2-2 4, Flaherty 1-5 0-0 3, LaPointe 1-2 0-0 2, Dulude 0-3 2-2 2; TOTALS 34-68 10-13 81
Amherst (54) Sullivan 7-15 10-11 24, Putnam 2-4 2-2 8, Walker 3-9 1-3 7, Taylor 3-6 0-0 6, Sacher 1-2 3-4 5, Bozorg 1-4 0-0 3, Feldman 0-0 1-2 1, Coscarelli 0-5 0-0 0, Diamond 0-1 0-0 0, Hamill 0-0 0-0 0, Watkins 0-0 0-0 0, Ouimet 0-0 0-0 0; TOTALS 17-46 17-22 54
3-point goals Bates 3-9 (Grossman 1-2, Flaherty 1-2, Dockery 1-1, Williamson 0-2, McLaughlin 0-1, Thurston 0-1), Amherst 3-7 (Putnam 2-3, Bozorg 1-2, Taylor 0-2). Fouled Out - NONE. Rebounds Bates 31 (McLaughlin 9), Amherst 38 (Walker, Putnam 8). Assists Bates 28 (Thurston, Grossman 6), Amherst 12 (Putnam 3). Total fouls Bates 19, Amherst 12. Technicals - NONE. Attendance 175.