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DON PETERSEN / Associated Press
Ursinus' Nick Shattuck, who finished with 10 points, shoots over Amherst's Fletcher Walters in the first half in Salem, Va.
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Ursinus falls hard to Amherst in semis
SALEM, Va. - Amherst, the defending NCAA Division III men's basketball champion, proved too much for Ursinus in its first Final Four appearance since 1981.
The Lord Jeffs pummeled the Bears, 84-58, in a semifinal yesterday at the Salem Civic Center, ending their winning streak at 23 games.
Amherst (27-3), ranked third in the country by D3Hoops.com, will play Washington-St. Louis (24-6) for the championship at 4 p.m. today after Ursinus faces Hope (27-4) in the consolation game at 1:30.
Junior guard John Noonan led Ursinus (29-3) with 18 points yesterday, while leading scorer Nick Shattuck, hobbled in recent weeks by ankle and heel problems, was held to 10. The Bears shot just 39.3 percent, well below their 50.3 percent average.
"We knew what we were up against," Ursinus coach Kevin Small said. "At the end of the day, we didn't play quite as well as we had been playing."
During a lively first half, both teams played fast and loose with the ball. Ursinus had 12 turnovers to Amherst's eight. An 11-4 run gave the Lord Jeffs a 38-24 advantage with 2 minutes, 36 seconds to play before the break.
It didn't get any better for Ursinus in the second half, when a 13-5 tear opened up a 58-37 advantage for Amherst. The Lord Jeffs led by 35, at 82-47, with 4:52 to play.
"In the second half, we turned it up a bit," Amherst coach coach Dave Hixon said about his team's defense.
Hixon had pulled most of his starters by the four-minute mark, resting them for today's final.
Senior guard Andrew Olson wound up with a triple-double for the Lord Jeffs, who are playing in their fourth Final Four in the last five seasons. Olson nailed five three-pointers en route to 21 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and delivered 10 assists
Shattuck would not use his leg problems as an excuse, although he finished well below his 22.3-point season average for the 16th-ranked Bears.
"It never crossed my mind to sit out," the senior guard said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be at the Final Four."
Amherst outrebounded Ursinus, 46-35, and scored 27 points off the 20 turnovers committed by the Bears. Ursinus dominated in the paint, 36 to 18, but not on the scoreboard.
"We know we can play a bit better," Small said. "I'm awfully proud of my guys, though."
