AMHERST — So much for Becker being a giant killer.
After knocking off the top two seeds in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament, Becker was simply no match against the behemoth known as the Amherst College women’s basketball team.
Reigning national champion Amherst won its program record 61st straight game Friday night, beating Becker, 61-12 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at LeFrak Gymnasium.
Amherst (28-0) will play Saint Joseph’s (28-1) of Maine, at 6 p.m. Saturday in Amherst.
Saint Joseph’s beat UMass-Boston 61-56. Julia Champagne led Saint Joseph’s with 16 points, while Hannah Marks added 12 as the Monks extended their winning streak to 27 games.
“I was proud of the way we started and never let up,” Amherst coach G.P. Gromacki said. “We took their top scorers out of the game.”
How dominating was Amherst?
The Mammoths held the Hawks to one field goal as they led 19-2 after the first quarter.
Amherst, which made its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, opened a commanding 24-2 advantage before Becker got another basket.
Emma McCarthy led Amherst with 11 points. Madeline Eck finished with 10 points, five assists and five steals.
The defense, which has been Amherst’s calling card, was suffocating during that opening run. The Mammoths had at least two players collapse on an opponent any time a Becker player got anywhere near the paint.
“We’ve always pride ourselves on defense,” junior Maeve McNamara said. “We love being in LeFrak in March.”
Becker, which beat No. 1 Newbury and No. 2 Mitchell in its conference playoffs, attempted only seven field goals during the first 10 minutes and the only player from the Worcester school to connect on one was Adrianna Dowdy.
“We were in awe,” Dowdy said.
The defensive clinic put on by the Mammoths was hardly a surprise. Amherst is the top defensive team in the nation, limiting opponents to 39.4 points per game.
The Hawks were tentative at the start and could not combat the Mammoth’s quickness. Amherst was able to capitalize on Becker’s postseason inexperience.
Becker had 19 turnovers during the first half, including several when the shot clock expired. The Hawks simply could not find the open player.
Amherst took its foot off the gas pedal in the second quarter, which was much more competitive with the Mammoths outscoring the Hawks, 9-7. That was enough for Amherst to take a 28-9 lead at intermission.
“We were not real happy with the second quarter, but we picked it up in the third and fourth,” Gromacki said.
Amherst got back to its players-in-motion, quick-pass offense in the second half and continued to dominate. Meanwhile, the Mammoths’ defense held the Hawks to three third-quarter points (all free throws) and zero in the fourth.
“Going in, we knew it was going to be a tough matchup,” Becker coach David Bostick said” Our girls played hard and gave me everything they had.”
Granby sisters Kate and Meghan Sullivan played 24 and 22 minutes, respectively, off the bench. Kate had six points and four rebounds, while Meghan added four points and three rebounds.
McNamara had seven points, four steals and three assists.