AMCATS fall despite strong second half surge
PAXTON, Mass. – Despite dropping 49 points in the second half, the Anna Maria College men's basketball team fell to the 20th ranked Lord Jeffs of Amherst College by a score of 82-68 at The Fuller Activities Center on Saturday evening. The win improves the Lord Jeffs to a perfect 10-0 to begin the year, while the AMCATS fall to 3-6 overall. The AMCATS had four players finish in doubles figures, including sophomore Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.), and seniors Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.), Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.), and Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.). Pinsonault had a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, while De La Hoz compiled 13 points, four assists, and three treys in the loss. Click was an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor for 17 points, while Johnson contributed 12 points, five boards, two assists, and two steals. The Lord Jeffs got an excellent team effort, receiving double-digit scoring performances from five different players. Sophomore Peter Kaasila (Plaistow, N.H.) had a team-best 18 points, while fellow sophomore Willy Workman (Northampton, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Amherst also received 16 points from senior Conor Meehan (Meriden, Conn.), 15 points on five threes from junior Taylor Barrise (Allendale, N.J.), and 10 points from freshman Aaron Toomey (Greensboro, N.C.). The Lord Jeffs jumped out to an early 10-3 lead, receiving two early treys from Barrise, and never looked back. Amherst built a 40-19 advantage over the opening 20 minutes, as the AMCATS struggled to find their shot, connecting on just 28.6% of their attempts in the first half. The Lord Jeffs dominated the inside game during the period, holding decisive advantages in points in the paint (20-6), second chance points (11-2), and points off of turnovers (12-3). The second half was a different story, as the AMCATS finally found their stroke, shooting 69.6% (16-23) from the floor, including 75% (3-4) from downtown. AMC compiled a 9-0 advantage in fast-break points during the half, and managed to shave the Amherst lead to 14 with over two and a half minutes to play.However, that was as close as the AMCATS got, as the Lord Jeffs sealed the game by shooting 2-of-2 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line over the final two minutes of play. Amherst takes their perfect 10-0 record on the road to battle Johnson & Wales (Miami) on December 30th, while the AMCATS return to the court on New Year's Eve to face cross-town rival Worcester State University at 12:00 pm as AMC senior Chris Pinsonault attempts to become the 17th player in program history to amass 1,000 career points. Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information
