Box Score
MEDFORD - In a game featuring the top two teams in NESCAC with first place on the line, Amherst led 22-2 ten minutes into the game and rolled to a 48-31 victory at Tufts on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym. Lord Jeffs senior Lem Atanga McCormick (Chicago, IL) scored 13 points and blocked four shots to lead the visitors.
Defending conference champion Amherst secured the #1 seed in the upcoming NESCAC championship with the win. Also the defending national champion, the Lord Jeffs remained unbeaten at 22-0 overall and 8-0 in NESCAC. The victory is their 31st straight in conference competition and 41st in a row overall.
Tufts, which can finish second in the conference with a win at Hamilton next Friday, got 16 rebounds from senior Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, MA). The Jumbos lost for the second time in three games and fell to 18-5 overall and 7-2 in the league.
McCormick had nine points and senior tri-captain Caroline Stedman (Walpole, MA) scored eight including two three-pointers as Amherst took its whopping 20-point early lead. They led by as many as 22 in the first half (28-6) after a lay-up by senior guard Kim Fiorentino (Holmdel, NJ) at 4:48.
Tufts did well to cut the gap to 30-15 at halftime. They closed the first half with a 9-2 run over the final 4:15 featuring six points by sophomore Liz Moynihan (Worcester, MA).
The Jumbos scored the first basket of the second half on a lay-up by junior tri-captain Bre Dufault (Hampden, MA) and were within 13 at 30-17. However, that's the closest they would get. Much like they had early in the first half, the Amherst defense stymied the Jumbos early in the second. Dufault's basket was the last points by Tufts for more than nine minutes. At that point, Amherst led 38-19 at the eight-minute mark.
Tufts had a last gasp when co-captain Kate Barnosky (Huntington Station, NY), who along with Kornegay was honored on Seniors Day, scored a lay-up at 4:32 to get the hosts within 14 (42-28). However, the Lord Jeffs scored the next six points to put the game away.
Fiorentino finished with 15 rebounds for Amherst, which was +15 on the boards (54-39) for the game. Senior Jackie Renner (Newton, MA) added eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while junior Marcia Voigt (Skillman, NJ) recorded six points, eight rebounds and two steals. Stedman had eight points, five rebounds and two assists. Amherst shot 20 for 60 (33 percent), including just 3 for 17 (17.6 percent) from three-point land.
The Jumbos were held to one of their lowest point totals in years and shot just 17.9 percent (10/56) overall. They were 1 for 11 (91. percent) on three-pointers. Barnosky's seven points led the way and she added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kornegay had six pionts and two assists to go with her game-high rebound total (16).
Tufts is off until finishing its regular-season next Friday at Hamilton. Tip-off is 6 pm. Amherst hosts Williams that night at 6 pm.
Game statistics
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