For the majority of Friday’s NCAA Division III national women’s basketball semifinal, Amherst College remained calm and didn’t let the moment faze them. But when Mammoth sophomore Cam Hendricks drilled a 3-pointer as time expired in the third quarter to extend Amherst’s lead over Thomas More to four points, just about every Mammoth was pumping their fists in excitement.
As it turned out, Amherst’s excitement was warranted. Hendricks’ bomb was a launching point of sorts. No. 1 Amherst outscored the No. 4 Saints 23-9 in the fourth quarter as the Mammoths rolled to a 66-48 win Friday at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn., to advance to their second consecutive Division III national championship game.
Thomas More (30-2) came in as the last team to defeat the Mammoths, defeating Amherst in the 2016 national semifinals. The Saints also come in as the 2015 and 2016 Division III champions.
Aside from the winning pedigree, the Saints came in with a raucous fan section, cheerleaders and a pep band. That energy propelled Thomas More to a 5-0 lead to open the game.
“I don’t think we’ve seen a band all season,” said Amherst head coach G.P. Gromacki. “They were energized. We held our own and looked pretty good.”
The Mammoths’ dominating defense kicked in after falling behind early. Amherst (32-0) outscored the Saints 21-6 for the rest of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Mammoths’ defense continued to suffocate Thomas More, who came into the game averaging 86 points per game.
“I don’t know if they do any offensive drills in practice or not,” Saints head coach Jeff Hans said jokingly. “They’re so long. They have high motors and chase everything.”
“There haven’t been a lot of nights during my time at Thomas More, where we haven’t been able to score like tonight.”
In the third quarter, the Saints made their run. Thomas More cut the deficit to one, thanks to pressure defense that forced Amherst into a number of turnovers.
Right when the Saints appeared to be in position to dethrone the Mammoths, Hendricks’ 3-pointer went down.
“To get back within one and for them to hit that shot was a letdown,” said Thomas More forward Madison Temple, who tallied a team-high 14 points on Friday. “For her to step up and make a big shot, it kind of deflated us a little.”
The run continued for Amherst into the fourth quarter. Senior forward Hannah Hackley opened the quarter with a jumper to extend the lead.
As the fourth quarter went on, the Mammoths’ lead continued to grow. Amherst, who had five players log at least 32 minutes in the win, never let up defensively and allowed nine points in the final quarter.
Offensively, Amherst got good looks in the paint with junior Emma McCarthy, who had a game-high 19 points in the win.
“Our game plan going in was to try to get it inside,” McCarthy said. “My teammates did a phenomenal job of getting it inside. I really like the left side.”
The Mammoths’ also got contributions from their backcourt. Sophomore guard Madeline Eck had 11 point and Hackley finished with 10 points.
Sophomore guard Hannah Fox also came up with 9 points, including a 3-pointer that helped put away the game early in the fourth.
“(Fox) is a hustler. She’s made big plays for us all season long,” Gromacki said. “She’s made plays all season long. Tonight’s were as big as any.”
Amherst’s opponent in Saturday’s title game will be Bowdoin. The No. 3 Polar Bears enter after knocking off No. 2 Wartburg in Friday’s other semifinal. The Mammoths will look for their second win over Bowdoin this season. Amherst won the first matchup 49-45 on Jan. 27.
The Mammoths enter as the favorite to win their third title in school history and second consecutive. Amherst would be the fourth team in Division III history to repeat as national champions.
“The adrenaline will be going tomorrow night and we’ll do what we need to do,” Gromacki said. “With one game left, we’re not holding anything back.”