AMHERST, Mass. -- Johnny McCarthy's 25 points and 13 rebounds, including 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, led No. 11 nationally ranked Amherst College to an 88-69 NESCAC victory over the Bates College men's basketball team on Friday night.

McCarthy carried Amherst (18-3, 6-1 NESCAC) through an otherwise lackluster first half, making 8-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc to stake the visitors to a 41-33 halftime lead. McCarthy finished 10-for-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three. 

Jayde Dawson added 22 points and eight assists for Amherst. David George posted 14 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots, while Connor Green contributed nine points and 11 rebounds. 

Bates was outrebounded for only the fifth time this season, by a season-high margin of 16 (49-33). Amherst shot .486 from the field and .500 from three, compared to .364 and .350 for Bates.

Senior Mike Boornazian (Portland, Conn.) led Bates (10-11, 2-5 NESCAC) with 17 points. Junior Marcus Delpeche (Wilmington, Del.) scored 13, junior Jerome Darling (Hartford, Conn.) added 11 points off the bench, and senior Josh Britten (Yarmouth, Maine) netted 10 points before fouling out.

Bates got on the scoreboard just seconds into the game as Boornazian found Marcus Delpeche open underneath for a dunk. Less than two minutes later, McCarthy spotted up for a three with 18:06 to go in the first half to give Amherst a 5-4 lead that the visitors never relinquished. 

A pair of free throws by junior Malcolm Delpeche (Wilmington, Del.) got Bates within two of Amherst at 29-27 before George threw down a dunk to start a 7-1 Amherst spurt for a 36-28 advantage. McCarthy then punctuated his remarkable first half by winding the clock down before launching and making a 3-pointer from 30 feet out, sending Amherst into the break with a 41-33 lead. 

McCarthy's scoring offset scoreless periods by Amherst's two leading scorers entering the game in Green and Jeff Racy; aside from McCarthy, Amherst missed all five of its three-point attempts.

The opening minutes of the second half tilted Amherst's way. Green opened the half by making his first shot, and with 16:34 to go in the period he drained a three for a 52-39 Amherst lead. Amherst then paired two defensive stops with threes by Racy and McCarthy to open up a game-high 59-39 advantage with 14:00 left in the game. Bates could get no closer than 15 the rest of the way, despite a run of three 3-pointers midway through the half, two by Darling and the third by Britten.

Bates plays its final home game this season tomorrow at 3pm against Trinity, the team that knocked the Bobcats out of the NCAA Tournament a season ago in the Sweet Sixteen.