Owls Comeback Effort Falls Short at Amherst, 69-65

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Kenney Rogers (Springfield, Mass.) scored a game-high 22 points, but a second half comeback effort fell narrowly short, dropping a 69-65 decision to Amherst College in a non-conference game on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Mammoths improve to 7-1 on the season while the Owls drop to 4-2.

After trailing by 11 heading into the second half, the Mammoths threatened to put the game away after a layup from Drew Martin extended the Amherst lead to 16 points with 13:37 remaining. Westfield clawed their way back into the game thanks to a 9-0 run with A.Z. Allah (Springfield, Mass.) converting a layup and two free throws on the next possession to cut the deficit to ten points. After a missed three from Amherst, Rogers nailed a triple to trim the Amherst lead into single digits at 55-48 with 11:22 left.

A jumper from Nate Pabis temporarily stopped the run, but the Owls continued to inch closer. Cam Hoekstra (Spencer, Mass.) made a layup just over the midway point of the second, then Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.) grabbed his own miss and drew a foul, sinking two free throws to make it a five-point contest. With seven minutes to go, Rogers connected on a deep three-pointer to cut the Mammoth lead to two points.

With 4:28 remaining, Rogers nabbed a missed shot and finished at the rim to tie the game at 60, their first time tied or with the lead since the 17:17 marker of the first half. Pabis put Amherst back in front, and after a missed three from Westfield, Chris Hammond scored a lay in. Two additional free throws from Zane Adnan pushed the lead up to six points (66-60) with 2:31 remaining.

The Owls would not go down quietly as Lewis answered with a three-point play, finishing through contact on a drive to the net and making a free throw to cut the deficit in half with 2:25 to play. On the ensuing Amherst possession, Rogers blocked a shot at the rim, facilitating a transition opportunity on the other end which was finished by Jason James (Ansonia, Conn.) for a 66-65 deficit with 2:08 left in regulation.

Amherst missed the front end of a one-and-one chance, then a layup on their next two possessions, but the Owls were unable to take advantage down the other end, missing a triple and a layup with under one minute to go.

With 12 seconds left, the Mammoths split a pair of free throws, making it a two-point game. Out of an Owls timeout, two defenders closed out on a three-point try from Rogers, whose shot rimmed in and out with Hammond securing the defensive rebound with 1.8 left. He sank two free throws to up the game to a two-possession lead, thwarting the strong second half effort from the Owls.

The Owls made ten threes on the afternoon, five of which came from Rogers whose 22 points was a season high. He also grabbed nine rebounds and three steals. Allah made two of four three pointers and scored 13 points while James (11 points) and Lewis (10 points) also reached double figures.

Adnan led Amherst with 18 points, nailing four three-pointers. Hammond notched 17 points and seven rebounds while Pabis added 11 points off the bench.

Westfield nearly overcame a sizeable disadvantage on the glass as Amherst held a plus-18 margin on the boards (46-28) including 15 offensive rebounds for the Mammoths. The Owls played a clean game of basketball which helped fuel a strong second half charge, recording just one second half turnover (eight for the game).

Westfield State will return home for their next game as the Owls welcome Colby-Sawyer on Monday for a 7:00 P.M. tip-off at the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.