Amherst 70 – Westfield State 64
WESTFIELD – Amherst College survived a major upset bid by Westfield State, as the Lord Jeffs outscored the Owls 12-1 in the final 2:41 for a 70-64 victory in men’s basketball non-conference action Jan. 27.
Amherst improved to 16-1 while Westfield is 8-7. The Lord Jeffs are ranked No. 3 in this week’s d3hoops.com NCAA Division III national poll. Last week the Lord Jeffs were ranked first nationally before their thrilling 84-80 overtime loss at Williams College.
Westfield - playing one of the final games in its bandbox gymnasium – traded baskets and leads with the national power for the entire game, except for the final two and a half minutes. The Owls – who were aided by a strong rebounding effort and excellent interior passing – took a 63-58 lead with 2:53 remaining following three consecutive baskets by 6-7 senior reserve center Rich Pyle.
Amherst then tallied seven straight points to take a 65-63 lead with 1:15 remaining. Senior guard Adam Harper – who surpassed the 1,000-point mark early in the second half – tied the score on a 3-point basket and a floater in the key. Senior forward Tim Jones then gave Amherst the lead for good with a lay-in.
Westfield scored its final point on Ricky Ogboin’s free throw with 1:00 remaining that made it 65-64. Amherst extended its lead to 67-64 when Jones canned two free throws with 46.6 seconds remaining.
Ogboin then missed two shots (drive, offensive putback) and the Owls were forced to foul with 24.2 seconds remaining. Jones made one free throw for a 68-64 lead. Westfield’s comeback attempt fell short, however, as it missed four consecutive shots, including two 3-point attempts in the closing seconds. Amherst finally gained control of the ball with 2.4 seconds remaining, and John Bedford made two free throws to close out the 12-1 run.
Amherst had four players in double figures, led by Bedford’s 16 points; he also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Harper finished with 14 points and now has 1,007 career points. The Washington, D.C. native surpassed the magic milestone on short jumper following an offensive rebound with 14:55 remaining in the second half. In addition, Harper had one steal and is now three steals shy of the Amherst career record of 279 steals set by Keith Pooper (’96).
Senior guard Allen Murray and freshman point guard T.J. Baker scored 19 points apiece for Westfield. Ogboin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.