With the top seed in the NESCAC Tournament already locked up, the Amherst College Lord Jeffs went into last Saturday’s regular season finale against Trinity College in hopes of extending their winning streak and preserving momentum for the postseason. Though Trinity put up a good fight, the Jeffs came out on top, snapping a losing streak against the Bantams that had dated back to the 2004-05 season.
Before the game started, Amherst took a moment to honor its seniors, who would be playing in the final regular season home game of their Amherst careers. Entering Saturday’s game, the seniors had posted an impressive 105-10 record in their four seasons. To reward them for four seasons of hard work, Head Coach David Hixon started all five seniors: Matt Goldsmith, Kevin Hopkins, Brandon Jones, Fletcher Walters and Andrew Olson.
Right from the game’s opening tip-off, the Jeffs and Bantams were locked in a close game of back-and-forth basketball, with multiple lead changes in the first half. Olson got the Jeffs started early with three buckets in the first five minutes; he would finish the half with 10 points.Jones also had a strong first half, leading the Jeffs in scoring with 12 points. In the final seconds of the half, with Amherst leading by one, high-flying junior Mike Holsey blocked Trinity’s final attempt to send the Jeffs into intermission with a 30-29 lead.
The second half started off well for the home team, with a pair of opportunities for three-point plays. Though Amherst failed both times to convert the free throw, the second missed free throw was rebounded by Amherst and led to a Hopkins dunk off of a no-look, behind-the-back pass from Olson. It was only the first of a pair of impressive dunks by Hopkins, with the second one coming at the 15-minute mark, with Hopkins driving down the lane for a two-handed tomahawk over a helpless Trinity defender.
Though Trinity refused to die, they never succeeded in gaining the lead in the second half. The closest they came was 56-54 with 3:57 remaining. Eventually, Trinity was forced to start fouling—rarely a successful strategy against an Amherst team that is second in the NESCAC in free throw percentage. Unfortunately for the Bantams, Saturday was no exception; the Jeffs hit their free throws and held on for a 69-58 win.
Olson led Amherst with 16 points, followed by Jones with 15. Walters posted his seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Olson, with his three assists became just the eighth player in Div. III history to reach the 700-assist mark, finishing the regular season with 701 career assists. All in all, it was a solid win for the Jeffs.
But it was bittersweet for the seniors. “It was really weird playing our last regular season game and knowing that things are actually starting to come to an end,” said Walters. “On the other hand, it felt really good to finally beat Trinity and wrap up the NESCAC season with a win.”
With the regular season at a close, the Jeffs boast an undefeated 9-0 NESCAC record and 22-2 record overall. As the first place team in the conference, Amherst will have home court advantage throughout the NESCAC Tournament, which starts this Saturday. Though they have had a fantastic season so far, the Jeffs realize their journey is far from over.
“All I can say is, that this is without a doubt, the best part of the season coming up,” said Jones. “All the regular season does is place teams in the postseason. Of course it’s necessary for strengthening weaknesses, but the playoffs are what define teams. Survive and advance. That’s all that matters.”