Aaron Toomey(Bishop McGuinness) pumps in 21 points in his collegiate debut for Amherst College

Meehan’s 28 Points Lead Amherst in Overtime Win Against Farmington

AMHERST, MA – Conor Meehan ’11 (Meriden, CT) scored a career-high 28 points to
lead the Amherst College men’s basketball team to a thrilling 90-89 overtime win
against the University of Maine at Farmington Friday evening in the Ken Wright ’52
Memorial Invitational. Jeff Holmes ’12 (Saunderstown, RI) broke an 89-89 tie on a
free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

The Beavers (0-1) led the Lord Jeffs (1-0) for the majority of the game, but
Amherst took a 66-64 lead with 7:31 remaining in the second half thanks to a pair
of free throws from Aaron Toomey ’14 (Greensboro, NC), who finished with 21 points
in his collegiate debut. The hosts remained on top until Nate Carson tied things
up at 81-81 with 15 seconds on the clock, and the game went into extra time when
Toomey missed a three-pointer as time ran out.

The teams went back and forth in the overtime session until Carson missed from
long range, handing the ball back to Amherst with the score knotted at 89-89 and
only 21 seconds to go. The Jeffs ran the clock down and Toomey went to the rim,
missing a layup in traffic before Holmes pulled down the offensive rebound. Holmes
was fouled on his way back up, allowing him to knock down a clutch free throw that
closed the books on a thrilling season opener.

Amherst improved to 19-0 all-time in the Ken Wright ’52 Memorial Invitational, as
the Jeffs are looking to claim their 10th consecutive tournament title. Amherst
has now won 10 consecutive home openers and 14 consecutive season openers.

The Beavers entered the 2010-11 season as defending champions of the North
Atlantic Conference, as they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament
and posted an 11-2 record in their final 13 games last year. They carried that
momentum into this season, holding a 39-31 lead over Amherst at halftime and going
ahead by as many as 12 points in the second frame.

Farmington took its largest lead when Andrew Dean nailed a three-pointer to make
it a 47-35 contest with 16:31 remaining in regulation, but Meehan took over from
there, scoring seven of his team’s next nine points. The Beavers had an answer for
every Amherst push, however, and still led by nine with 10 minutes to play
(64-55).

The difference maker in the game would be a 13-0 run by the Jeffs, sparked by a
pair of threes from Connor Johnson ’12 (San Diego, CA) to give Amherst a 68-64
edge with 5:40 left. The rest of the period was a back-and-forth affair that ended
with Carson sending it into overtime with his two free throws. Overtime featured
five ties and seven lead changes, but it was Holmes who added the finishing touch
with less than a second to play.

The teams combined to shoot 69 free throws in the game, with the Beavers knocking
down 87 percent of theirs (32-for-37) and the Jeffs shooting 72 percent
(23-for-32) from the line. Neither side shot above 30 percent from long range,
while Amherst won the rebounding battle, 46-30.

In addition to his 28 points, Meehan grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists.
Toomey’s 21 points were accompanied by four boards and three assists, while Pete
Kaasila ’13 (Plaistow, NH) was 8-for-11 from the floor for 16 points and six
rebounds. Johnson had nine points thanks to a 3-for-3 performance from long range.

Farmington had four players in double figures, with Eric Taylor shooting 10-for-10
from the line en route to a team-high 20 points and eight boards. Andrew Dean and
Yusuf Iman each had 15 points, while Pet Sumner chipped in with 12. DJ Gerrish
added six points, four rebounds and four assists for the visitors.

Amherst will host Castleton State Saturday at 3 p.m. in the championship game, as
the Spartans earned a 66-57 win over Wells College in Friday’s nightcap.
Farmington will take on Wells Saturday at 1 p.m. in the consolation bout.

Justin Long
Co-Director of Sports Information
Amherst College