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Amherst, Mass.-Junior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) contributed 15 points, four boards, an assist and a block as Rhode Island College fell to Amherst, 80-60 at LeFrak Gymnasium on Wednesday evening. |
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Aaron Toomey scored 22 second half points and led a 30-5 run to lift the third-ranked Jeffs to the victory. |
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Amherst extended its winning streak to nine straight games and four consecutive against their regional rival. With the loss, the Anchormen fall to 12-7 on the season. |
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After a scoreless first half, Toomey finished the game with 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 3-of-7 from downtown and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Leading the team in scoring, however, was Tom Killian with 26 points, one shy of tying his career-high. The senior forward shot 9-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-7 from three-point range. He also finished with a game-high nine boards and a career-high five steals while David Kalema pitched in 13 points to join his fellow captains in double-figures. |
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RIC senior guard Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, RI) posted 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. |
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The first half went back and forth throughout the majority of play. Following a free throw from Killian at the 16:28 mark, the Jeffs grabbed their largest lead early on, up four. However, a layup from Burton on the Anchormen's next possession sparked an 11-0 run as they took a 16-9 lead. |
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David Kalema eventually broke Amherst's scoring drought at the 12:13 mark when the senior guard caused a turnover and finished the play with a one-handed fast break dunk. The momentum quickly shifted in the Jeffs' favor and a layup by Ben Pollack minutes later gave Amherst the lead again, up 20-19. |
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Trailing by three in the closing minutes, Kalema hit a layup with 14 seconds before the break to cut the deficit to one. On the Anchormen inbound, Killian forced a turnover and connected on a three-point play for a quick five point turnaround. However, RIC junior forward Jacob Page (Braintree, MA) was fouled with two seconds to go and hit both foul shots to tie the game at the break, 36-36. |
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RIC came out hot to start the second half and a three-pointer from Sanders gave the Anchormen a nine-point lead, up 49-40 with 16:30 remaining. Despite the strong start, Amherst answered behind the solid play of Toomey. |
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The Jeffs all-time leading scorer hit one from downtown to spark a 10-0 run. Toomey wasn't finished and added another three-pointer at the 11:05 mark to put Amherst up once again, 53-51, and they never looked back. |
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Consecutive three-pointers from Killian, followed by a spectacular alley-oop from Toomey to the senior forward, put Amherst up nine as the Jeffs went on to outscore their opponent, 40-11, in the final 15 minutes of play. |
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In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at UMass Boston on Saturday, Feb. 1 (3 p.m.). |