ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The task before them was daunting. Then again, the roll that they went on from the time that they were 7-12 to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time certainly gave Rosemont confidence heading into its first round contests against two-time national champion and No. 7 in the country Amherst.
In the end, the Mammoths proved to be too big an obstacle for the Ravens to overcome.
A magical late season run came to an end on Friday night when Rosemont bowed to Amherst by an 84-53 margin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Rochester.
Amherst (24-4) will move onto take the host Yellowjackets, who beat Farmingdale State by a 85-68 margin in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
Rosemont’s season ends with a 15-13 mark and a first Colonial States Athletic Conference championship.
The Ravens hung in for a long time in this one, trailing by only 11 with 11 minutes left in the game and making a bit of a move to get back in shouting distance. But Amherst went on a 12-2 run that pretty much sealed the contest.
“They showed why they are one of the best programs in the country,” Rosemont head coach Bob Hughes said. “They did everything they needed to do and they made things extremely difficult for us to score in certain areas.”
Amherst also made life extremely difficult for the Ravens shooters. Ten Rosemont shots were blocked by the Mammoths. Rosemont shot 17 for 63 from the floor overall on the night.
Keith Blassingale lead the way with 16 points for the Ravens. Jacob Simonson had 10 points in his final game as a Raven.
Four Amherst players scored in double figures, led by Fru Che’s 18 points. Grant Robinson has 13 points while Eric Sellew and C.J. Bachmann each added 10.
The Ravens season that had its peaks and valleys lead them to a spot that few would have anticipated at the end of January when they lost to Immaculata and fell to 7-12.
“I’m proud of these kids and what they were able to do,” Hughes said. “They believed in each other and kept fighting through things to get this program to this level.”
