AMHERST — LeFrak Gymnasium warps visiting teams. It turns them into the worst versions of themselves.
Montclair State entered Friday’s NCAA Division III women’s basketball Sweet 16 matchup with Amherst College as one of the most efficient shooting teams in the nation and a good rebounding squad.
The Mammoths held them to 22.2 percent shooting with 18 turnovers and outrebounded them 44-25 in a 51-40 win.
“We threw the ball away quite a bit, which is uncharacteristic of us,” Montclair State coach Karin Harvey said. “We struggled on the boards and had a hard time getting into an offensive flow.”
No. 1-ranked Amherst (33-0) will play Rochester (24-4) in the Elite Eight after the Yellowjackets defeated RIT, 59-55, before the Mammoths took the floor. Amherst, the defending national champion, has won 63 straight games and will play in its third straight Elite Eight, Saturday at 6 p.m.
“We’re fighting for each other, and we don’t want to let each other down,” Amherst sophomore Madeline Eck said. “We’re trying to get our ultimate goal, which is a national championship.”
Amherst possesses the best defense in the nation. The Mammoths allow 38.2 points per game, the fewest in the country by more than eight points, and hold teams to 27.6 percent from the floor.
“I thought we dictated what we wanted to do defensively early,” Amherst coach G.P. Gromacki said.
Amherst forced 18 turnovers that led to 12 points and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, scoring 11 second-chance points.
“They’re really lanky and long, their height was definitely different,” Montclair State senior Katie Sire said. “They made it really hard to get in the paint.”
Amherst led 11-5 after a quarter and stretched its advantage to 28-11 at halftime. Hannah Fox scored a game-high 15 points, including 11 before halftime.
Eck, the Mammoths’ leading scorer, left the game with two fouls with 2 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first quarter. Junior Meghan Sullivan, a Granby graduate, replaced her.
Amherst led 9-4 at the time, and Sullivan helped the Mammoths extend their lead.
“She came in and held her own. She came back ready to go (from injury) and got injured again, she’s fought through it,” Gromacki said. “She’s strong-willed. We’re happy she’s on her way back and ready to go.”
Sullivan played 16 minutes, her most since the opening round of the NCAA tournament. She scored two points and grabbed three rebounds with two steals against Montclair State.
“It’s kind of been one thing after another, I’ve never really gotten my feet on the ground again,” Sullivan said. “My teammates are always three to support me. That makes it easier for us to come in off the bench.”
Gromacki used his bench a lot in the second half, as the Mammoths led by as many as 18. Sullivan and her younger sister, Kate, played together during that bench-heavy stretch. Kate Sullivan hit a 3-pointer, added a rebound and an assist.
“It’s incredible,” Meghan Sullivan said. “There’s only eight teams left and I get to play with my sister at one of the best schools in the country.”
Gromacki left his bench on the floor until Amherst’s lead shrunk to 14 with 2:07 left in the third quarter. Montclair State pulled as close as seven when Dominic Wrising made a free throw with 6:37 left in the game to make it 44-37.
Amherst responded with a 6-0 run that cemented its spot in the Elite Eight.
“We love playing together. We have a goal,” Fox said. “We do our best working together to achieve the common goal.”