BABSON PARK, Mass.—No. 11/11 Amherst College closed the third quarter with a 16-4 run to pull away for a 58-41 win over Babson College in non-conference women's basketball action on Tuesday night inside Staake Gymnasium.

Babson slips to 11-5 on the season with the loss, while Amherst improves to 11-2 with its third victory over the last four games.

Junior Samantha Smith (Greenfield, Mass.) recorded her second double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with a season-high five steals, while classmate Megan Bauman (East Lyme, Conn.) added 13 points, three assists and three steals to lead the Beavers. Sophomore Kelly Walsh (Goffstown, N.H.) chipped in with nine points in the loss.

Senior Dani Valdez (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and classmate Gabrielle Zaffiro (Glen Head, N.Y.) contributed 12 points and four assists to pace the Mammoths. Fellow senior Courtney Resch (San Francisco, Calif.) added 11 points and nine boards, while first-year AnLing Vera (Cerritos, Calif.) scored nine points and led all players with six assists.

The Green and White trailed by as many as four early in the second quarter before Walsh and Smith combined for eight straight points to take a 17-13 advantage with 6:07 to go before halftime. Smith knocked down a jumper to give the Beavers a 20-18 at the 4:39 mark and then answered a bucket by Mammoths ' first-year Kori Barach (Carlisle, Mass.) with another hoop to make it 22-22 heading into the locker room.

Babson overcame three early turnovers to even the game at 26-26 on hoops by Bauman and Smith just over three minutes into the third quarter before the visitors created separation. Resch and Vera canned three-pointers as part of an 8-0 run, and Resch buried consecutive triples on the heels of a hoop by Zaffiro to give Amherst a 42-30 advantage with 1:12 to go in the frame.

Zaffiro and Valdez opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back hoops to extend the margin to as many as 16 before sophomore Madison Odam (San Jose, Calif.) hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to pull the Beavers back within 46-33 with 6:53 to play. Zaffiro and Valdez responded with consecutive baskets and the hosts were unable to get closer than 13 down the stretch.

The Green and White, which finished with a 38-35 edge on the glass, shot a season-low 24.6 percent from the floor. The Mammoths shot 38.6 percent and turned 16 turnovers by the Beavers into 17 points.

Babson returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Mount Holyoke at 7 p.m., while Amherst takes on Wesleyan on Friday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 7-24 all-time against Amherst, which played its first game in Babson Park since 2002 on Tuesday night.
• Babson, which entered the game ranked 35th in Division III in field goal percentage, was held below 30 percent shooting for the first time since a 61-38 loss to Amherst on November 25, 2019.
• Tuesday's loss drops the Beavers to 9-3 on the year when outrebounding their opponents.