LEWISTON, Maine -- No. 4 nationally ranked Amherst was held to a season low in goals but limited the Bates women's lacrosse team to its lowest score of the season, in a 7-3 NESCAC win for the visiting Mammoths Saturday at Garcelon Field.

Facing its its second first-place team in five days, Bates (7-7, 2-7 NESCAC) played outstanding defense throughout, including 11 saves by junior goalie Eliza Statile (Ipswich, Mass.).

With two goals apiece from Katherine Malone and Hannah Gustafson, Amherst (13-1, 8-1 NESCAC) reeled off its sixth consecutive victory. The Mammoths have held opponents to six or fewer goals eight times this season.

Amherst scored its first three goals in rapid succession, beginning with Gustafson's unassisted score 2:32 into the game. Gustafson controlled the ensuing draw and Malone scored 38 seconds later, with Hannah Fox assisting Malone. Maia Noyes then won the next draw, drew a foul in Bates' defensive zone and converted a free-position shot for a 3-0 lead with 26:35 left in the half.

Amherst extended the lead to 5-0 soon after, with Mary Grace Cronin winning a 1-on-1 battle from the top of the circle with 23:56 to go, followed by Cronin finding a wide-open Malone in front of the Bates goal with 21:32 left.

Statile made five saves during a scoreless stretch of over 18 minutes, and with 2:59 left in the half, Teal Otley drew a foul and rifled a free-position shot past Amherst goalie Talia Land's right hip to put Bates on the scoreboard.

Otley had another free-position chance 44 seconds later but Land turned it away, and with 1:15 to go Julia Crerend scored on an assist by Noyes to return the five-goal advantage to Amherst.

The goal was the last one scored by either team for over 23 minutes of ensuing game time, a drought that was broken up by sophomore Avery MacMullen's (New Haven, Conn.) goal, as senior Annie Duke (Englewood, Colo.) found her open near the left post to close the gap to 6-2 with 7:27 left in regulation.

The sides traded eight turnovers before the next shot attempt, junior Sydney Howard's (Ashland, Mass.) underhander saved by Land with 1:43 to go. With 28.5 seconds to go, Gustafson converted a Crerend pass into Amherst's seventh goal.

Bates senior Camille Belletete (Jaffrey, N.H.) won the next draw and senior Allison Dewey (Vergennes, Vt.) fired in a long-distance shot to finish off the scoring with 15.7 seconds remaining.

Bates will host Colby in the regular-season finale Wednesday at 5:30pm.