Saturday marked the beginning of the NESCAC women’s basketball championships. Amherst entered the game as the top seed in the tournament. The purple and white hosted eighth-seeded Bates in Lefrak Gymnasium just minutes after the Amherst men were upset by Williams in their first-round matchup. The last time the Bates and Amherst women met, several weeks ago, the purple and white beat the Bobcats 75-37.

Bates jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first minutes of the game. After that, however, it was all Amherst. The purple and white held the Bobcats to only one point, while they scored 22 over a nine-minute span. Meredith Doswell ’17 netted eight points, in the process going four for six at the free throw line. Additionally, Madeline Eck ’20 poured in six points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a more even affair, with Bates scoring 19 points. However, Emma McCarthy ’19 added 10 points for Amherst, shooting four for five from the field. Fellow sophomore Meghan Sullivan also contributed six points in the quarter. Going into halftime, Amherst led 43-24.

Moving into the second half, the purple and white again dominated, allowing Bates to only score four points in the third quarter. M. Doswell scored five points, while McCarthy and Jackie Nagle ’18 added four points each in the third.

In the last quarter, Maeve McNamara ‘19 helped Amherst seal the deal, scoring two three-point baskets. The final score was a solid 76-35 win for Amherst.

McCarthy had a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. The purple and white’s impressive overall stat-line included 11 blocks, 16 steals and a total of 48 points in the paint compared with Bates’ zero.

“It’s really exciting to be moving forward in the NESCAC tournament, and we’re hoping to build on our momentum from last game to reach the championship,” said Eck, who has had a stellar first collegiate season thus far, averaging eight points and four rebounds per game.

Amherst continues their hunt for a second consecutive NESCAC championship next week.

The purple and white is set to host the NESCAC Semifinals next weekend on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26. Amherst will play fifth-ranked Colby at 2 p.m. on Saturday. No. 2 seed Tufts faces No. 3 seed Bowdoin in the other semifinal, with the winners of each game meeting for the NESCAC title on Sunday at noon.