In the NESCAC semifinal game on Saturday, top-seeded Amherst hosted the fourth-seed Bates College. The Jeffs had defeated the Bobcats just two weeks earlier by a score of 88-52. Despite having won by such a lop-sided margin the last time the two squads had met, Amherst knew they were likely to face a far more determined Bates team, as a bid into the NCAA Tournament was on the line for both squads.
At the onset of the game, Bates did appear to be much more dogged in their purpose, managing to stay right with Amherst, and neither team managed to build a lead past two points for the first six minutes of play. Bobcat forward Rob Stockwell had a sensational first half, scoring 13 points on 6-9 shooting, as the Bobcat guards consistently looked to feed him the ball in the post. Senior co-captain John Casnocha got the Jeffs rolling with his three point touch, hitting treyballs on consecutive trips down the floor to give Amherst a six point lead and sparking a 14-2 run. The Bobcats began trying to hit some threes of their own to close the gap, but couldn't find the range and went just 1-10 from the land of plenty before intermission.
The Bobcats came out fighting once again in the second half, this time led by much-heralded point-guard Zak Ray. At times, it appeared as though Ray was trying to get his team back in the game by his will alone, as the feisty 5-11 speedster hustled all over the court. Ray scored an amazing 26 points in one half, several of which came on threes that were easily from NBA range.
Despite Ray's heroic effort, the Bobcats were powerless to stop the Jeffs on the offensive end. Casnocha, fellow senior co-captain John Bedford and junior forward Dan Wheeler fueled a barrage of scoring that more than matched whatever Ray could muster. Overall the Jeffs shot 52.9 percent from the field, compared to just 39.1 percent for the Bobcats. Amherst also out rebounded Bates and had 16 assists to the Bobcats' paltry three. Statistically, the Jeffs were led by the aforementioned trio of Casnocha, Bedford and Wheeler-who had 20, 21 and 18 points, respectively-and also by sophomore point guard Andrew Olson who nearly had a double-double with nine points and eight assists.
Immediately following Amherst's semifinal victory, second-seeded Trinity College and third-seeded Tufts University met in the other semi, also held in LeFrak Gymnasium. The game turned out to be one of the most exciting NESCAC match-ups of the season, with Tufts needing last-second heroics from David Shepard to send the game to overtime despite an 18-point Jumbo halftime advantage. Tufts held on to win the game in overtime by a final score of 88-75, earning them the right to challenge Amherst in the finals the following afternoon.
Challenge they did. Given the fact that Amherst had defeated this very team by 29 points only two weeks ago (the same weekend they played Bates), and that Tufts was coming off what had to be a physically and emotionally draining game against Trinity, most observers were predicting a fairly easy victory for the Jeffs. The Jumbos, however, were in no mood to cooperate. Tufts brought a physical, energetic style of play that was a far cry from what Amherst had seen in the last meeting. Barely a minute into the game, the Jumbos showed they meant business, as Casnocha suffered a severe cut above his left eye, causing him to bleed profusely and leave the court for medical attention. A little later in the first half Bedford was fouled hard from behind by Tufts center Dan Martin while on a breakaway and came up holding his knee, causing Amherst Head Coach Dave Hixon '75 to become irate, shouting directly at Martin rather than forwarding his complaints to the referees.
It wasn't just the physical play of the Jumbos that made them a difficult opponent. They also shot extremely well. Consistently pounding the ball inside to Martin and forward Jake Weitzen, the Jeffs could find no answer to the post moves of either player, as the Jumbos shot a blistering 58.6 percent in the first frame. The Jumbos jumped out to a 22-11 lead early and were in the driver's seat for most of regulation. Sloppy ball control by Tufts kept Amherst in the game however, as the Jumbos committed 13 first-half turnovers, just enough to let the Jeffs tie the game at 37 going into the break despite shooting just 42.4 percent and being out-rebounded 22-12.
Neither team could pull away at the beginning of the second half, as the first six minutes saw six different lead changes. Tufts continued its torrid shooting, however, and managed to hold a narrow lead for six consecutive minutes after a jumper from Aaron Gallant put them on top. With a minute remaining, Amherst had possession but trailed by one, 77-76. On the next crucial possession, the Jeffs seemed utterly lost, looking desperately for some type of opening while the shot clock wound down under five seconds. Finally, Olson dished the ball to a waiting Casnocha, who was standing a good six feet beyond the three-point line. Anxious to avenge his earlier injury, Casnocha calmly drained one of the biggest shots of his career, giving the Jeffs a two-point margin with under 30 seconds to play as the crowd in LeFrak went berserk.
With the shot clock turned off, Tufts opted to go for the quick two rather than wait for the last shot. The move caught Amherst off guard as Jumbo Ryan O'Keefe easily found his way into the lane for a lay up. With about 13 seconds to play, Amherst gave the last shot to Bedford, but he missed long and the game went to overtime.
With five minutes to determine the 2006 NESCAC champion and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Jeffs came out meaning business. As he had been all weekend, Casnocha was there in the clutch, tipping in a missed shot to give Amherst the opening score of the extra session, a lead which the Jeffs did not relinquish. Olson three capped a 7-0 run to start the period, and although Tufts' Jeremy Black netted a three to bring the lead back to four, Tufts got no closer, shooting just 22.2 percent after having shot over 60 percent in regulation. The Jeffs ended up winning the game 94-86, a far tighter result than their last meeting.
"I think the biggest difference from the first game was how well Tufts shot the ball. We knew coming in that they could shoot, but on Sunday they had a couple guys that were just unconscious," said Wheeler. "Still, we know we can play a lot better than we did on Sunday, both offensively and defensively."
Wheeler led the team in points with 24, followed closely by Bedford who had 23 and won NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season. Also in double figures were Casnocha with 14 and Olson with 10. For Tufts, Martin had 25 and Weitzen had 23.
With the win, the Jeffs advance to the NCAA Tournament, where last year they made the Sweet 16. This year, they will set their sights even higher, aiming for the Final Four, which the program has reached just once in its existence, losing to archrival Williams College. Hopefully the Tufts game will give Amherst some experience in close games which will likely come in handy in the tournament. "Obviously it would be nice to win every game by 30, but that's not always going to happen-especially in the tournament," said Wheeler. "Poise becomes even more important this time of year, and playing in that overtime game gives us some experience to draw upon if we ever get in another pressure situation."
With a 25-2 record and ranked fourth in the country, Amherst has earned the right to be the top seed in their quarter of the NCAA draw. Having been given a bye into the second round, Amherst will play the winner of Hamilton College and Plattsburgh State University, a game that Hamilton is heavily favored to win. Regardless of who they play, the Jeffs will host the game at LeFrak Gymnasium on March 4, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16. Worcester Polytech Institute and St. John's Fisher College will likely be Amherst's most stringent competition to reach the Final Four, although Tufts, which received an at-large bid, is also in the region and could meet Amherst again in the Sweet 16.
NESCAC Notes
The Jumbos were the only other NESCAC team to receive a bid into the NCAA Tournament. Trinity, who many expected would also be given an invitation to the dance, was presumably one of the last teams out. The Jumbos will have to travel out to Cortland State University in Cortland, N.Y., where they will meet Endicott College in the first round. Should they win, they will play the winner of Cortland State and UMass-Boston. If they win twice, they will advance to the Sweet 16 where they could very well face Amherst for the third time this season.