In the opening round of the Classic, the Jeffs confronted the Owls of Westfield State. Amherst controlled the game right from the get-go, jumping out to an early 12-3 lead. On the strength of a long-distance buzzer-beater from team captain Andrew Olson ’08, Amherst entered halftime comfortably ahead, 43-22. The second half featured more of the same from the Jeffs, who scored the first 11 points of the half and never looked back.
Senior center Kevin Hopkins led what was a very balanced attack for the Jeffs, scoring 18 points in just 18 minutes of play. Olson scored 15 points and dished out seven assists in only 22 minutes, and forward Brian Baskauskas ’09 also tallied double digits with 13. All told, 16 Amherst players made it onto the court, and all 16 scored. The Amherst defense was arguably even more impressive, holding all of the Owls to single figures on the half while only allowing 49 point en route to the 96-49 blowout.
In the tournament championship, the Jeffs were matched up against the WNEC Golden Bears, who gave the Jeffs their first close game of their 2007-08 campaign. For the first time this season, Coach Dave Hixon ’75 was forced to play a short bench, with only eight players seeing time. Amherst was trailing WNEC for most of the first half and entered halftime with only a slim 31-29 lead—the smallest halftime margin the Jeffs have had all season.
Led by Olson, Hopkins and Brandon Jones ’08, the Jeffs made sure that the second half told a different story. On the strength of three assists and a three-pointer from Olson, Amherst went on a 15-0 tear in the first six minutes of the half. By the 11:59 mark, the Lord Jeffs held a game-high 20-point lead, which proved too large for the Golden Bears to overcome.
At times, the dynamic frontcourt duo of Hopkins and Jones was simply too much for the undersized WNEC squad to handle. Hopkins scored 15 points, gathered five rebounds and swatted two shots, and Jones chipped in 10 points and eight boards. Olson, who played all 40 minutes, racked up 16 points and seven assists on 6-of-7 shooting and was a flawless 4-for-4 from three-point range. Though they made several small runs and kept the game competitive, the Bears never came within single digits of the Jeffs. The game ended in a 63-51 victory and a second tournament championship for Amherst.
For the second tournament in a row, Amherst players received individual honors. Olson was named Most Valuable Player. Additionally, Jones and Hopkins, along with Olson, were named to the All-Tournament Team.
More importantly, the Jeffs walked away from the Pioneer Valley Classic with their first close-game experience, which will serve them well down the road. Before this tournament, Amherst had yet to play an opponent that could hang with them for even one half. The championship game against WNEC changed that.
“The WNEC game was a good test for us,” said Brian Baskauskas ’09. “They executed well, and we were often impatient on the offensive end,” Baskauskas explained, “so they were able to hang around for most of the game.”
Jones also noted the experience gained from the WNEC game. “Being in a close game is useful, because it helps us to execute well under stressful conditions, conditions that we will hopefully face in March.”
Such close-game experience could not have come at a better time, as the Jeffs face a number of quality opponents in the coming weeks. Amherst’s next game is at home against MIT tomorrow. The Jeffs then face a string of four away games before starting off conference play in early January. Their first two conference games? None other than Little Three rivals Wesleyan and Williams. By then, the Jeffs will have considerable game experience under their belts, allowing them to enter the meaningful NESCAC games prepared for whatever their rivals throw their way.