LAS VEGAS -- Nationally ranked No. 6 Amherst College outscored the Keene State College women's basketball team 45-15 over the middle two quarters en route to a 71-41 win over the Owls at the d3hoops.com Classic at the South Point Hotel and Casino on Sunday.

Records

• Keene State: 2-8
• Amherst: 6-1

How it Happened

Keene State got a season high 14 points from junior Tamra Gonyea, but she was the only KSC player in double-figures.   Freshmen Hailey Derosia added six points, while fellow frosh Samantha Adamson, Arianna Hebert, and Brianna Metellus all had five points.  Another freshman, Leah Pelkey, led all players with eight rebounds.

The Mammoths were paced by 18 points from senior Hannah Fox, while freshman Maggie Shipley came off the bench to score 16 points and sophomore Gabrielle Zaffiro added 10.

The Owls came out of the blocks firing, as Derosia stuck back her own miss for the opening basket of the game, then fed Gonyea for a three pointer for a 5-0 lead with 6:14 left in the first quarter.  Amherst embarked on a 9-2 run capped by Zaffiro's steal and layup, but five straight points from Gonyea gave the Owls a 12-10 lead with 2:10 to go.  A free throw from Gonyea and two more from Jenny Freedman gave the Owls a 15-12 lead as the quarter drew to a close.

Keene State held on to that lead in the opening stages of the second period, as Derosia found Adamson for a hoop, then drained a jumper of her own on the next KSC possession for a 19-17 lead at the 6:57 mark, but it was all Mammoths from there.   Amherst closed the frame on a 16-1 run, culminated by a three point play by Maggie Shipley with 1:22 to go, for a 33-20 lead at the break.

Amherst continued to pour it on after halftime, outscoring 24-10 in the third quarter and going up by as many as 27 as Zaffiro was fouled on a three-point attempt at the buzzer, making two of the three freebies for a 57-30 lead.   Amherst took their biggest lead of the game with 30 seconds to go on Jade DuVal's layup before Metellus scored at the horn to set the final margin.

In the Paint

• Amherst now leads the all-time series 12-2.  This was the first meeting between the two schools since 2014.
• Keene State turned the ball over 23 times, compaired to 16 for Amherst.  The Owls were also only 14-for-25 from the free throw line.
• KSC shot 12-for-43 from the field, the fewest number of field goals made and attempted in a game this season.

Up Next

• Keene State will take on Emmanuel College on Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern time.   
• Amherst heads further west, playing the University of Redlands at Chapman College in California.