LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior
Jeff Spellman scored a game-high 22 points but the Bates men's basketball team struggled from three-point range in an 85-71 loss to No. 22 nationally ranked Amherst Friday night at Alumni Gym.
The Bobcats (8-5, 1-1 NESCAC) hit just 1-19 three-pointers on the night. Meanwhile, the Mammoths (11-4, 2-1 NESCAC) drilled eight three-pointers in the second half to take control of the game.
Amherst won despite losing leading scorer Eric Sellew to an injury midway through the first half. Michael Schretter came off the bench and scored 16 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. He was joined by Fru Che and Garrett Day, who scored 16 points each themselves. Che also grabbed nine rebounds and Day hit four threes in five attempts.
First-year Omar Sarr (Dakar, Senegal) had a terrific game for Bates, scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting. He tallied seven rebounds and blocked a season-high six shots. Senior Tom Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) added 10 points off the bench.
Bates led 45-39 with 13:42 left in the game. But Tim McCarthy and Day hit back-to-back threes, tying the game at 45. The teams traded buckets and the Bobcats went ahead 53-52 on a Spellman (Boston, Mass.) layup with 10:11 remaining.
With 9:46 left, Devonn Allen hit a three to give the Mammoths a 55-53 edge and Amherst never trailed again. The Mammoths outscored Bates 30-18 down the stretch. After going 1-8 from three in the first half, the Mammoths went 8-13 from deep over the final 20 minutes. Meanwhile, senior Kody Greenhalgh (West Warwick, R.I.) hit the lone three of the night for Bates with 18:35 left in the second half. He dished out a team-high five assists and grabbed four rebounds on the night.
The Bobcats led for almost the entire first half, going up 27-22 on a Coyne layup with 4:55 left. The Mammoths answered with a 5-0 run, tying the game on a Schretter layup with 2:04 remaining. That started a string of four straight buckets for Schretter to close the half, with Spellman mixing in a pair of his own in response to Schretter's run. Amherst took its first lead of the game on a Schretter layup with five seconds to go before halftime.
Up 33-31 at the break, the Mammoths seized control once they got hot from three in the second half.
Bates looks to bounce back Saturday in NESCAC action when the Bobcats host Hamilton at 3pm.
Gallery: (1-17-2020) Men's Basketball vs. Amherst (Theophil Syslo)
