Women’s Basketball Remains No. 1 in Nation with wins over Tufts, Bates
Issue   |   Tue, 02/06/2018 - 22:35

The Amherst women’s basketball team clinched their 54th and 55th consecutive wins this past weekend.

First up was a suspenseful victory over Tufts on Friday night, followed by a win against Bates the next day in a game that doubled as the Mammoths’ Senior Day.

Madeline Eck ’20 led all scorers with 20 points in the win over the No. 7 Jumbos and also added six rebounds, two blocks and three assists.

Jackie Nagle ’18, Hannah Hackley ’18 and Emma McCarthy ’19 each added eight points comprising the majority of the Mammoths’ scoring.

For the first time this season, Amherst did not tally a single three-pointer in the game, going 0-7 from behind the arc.

However, the Mammoths’ ability to dominate the paint resulted in 34 points from down low, giving them a distinct edge over the Jumbos, who were heavily out-rebounded the in the game.

Although Amherst saw its 13-point halftime lead quickly disappear, the Mammoths ending up coming out on top 50-43. With this win, Amherst moved to 21-0 on the season.

The next afternoon marked the last regular season home game for Amherst.

During the contest against the Bobcats, the Mammoths celebrated seniors Jackie Nagle, Jenna Schumacher, Hannah Hackley and Emma McCarthy ‘19, before dominating Bates in a 58-31 rout.

Amherst’s senior class has had an incredibly successful four-year run at the College.

McCarthy, a transfer student, has not lost a game since her arrival at Amherst in 2016, and Hackley, Nagle and Schumacher have made two national semifinals, won two NESCAC crowns and were key pieces in Amherst’s second national title run.

Nagle had a stellar senior day performance. She led the Mammoths’ scoring with 12 points and controlled the boards with seven rebounds.

McCarthy came close to a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Hackley further added 10 points and dished out four assists.

The first basket of the contest went to the Bobcats, but Amherst quickly took the lead with an 11-0 run.

The score remained heavily in Amherst’s favor for the rest of the game, partly due to the fact that the Mammoths nearly doubled Bates’ rebound total.

Amherst will close out the regular season with two away matches next weekend.

First up, the Mammoths will take on archrival Williams on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7.p.m.

The following day, Amherst will travel north to take on Middlebury in the regular season finale at 3 p.m.

The Mammoths’ eyes, however, remain set on continuing their unbeaten streak to the NESCAC and DIII tournaments.