AMHERST, Mass. – Armed with an eight-point lead with 9:43 remaining, the Wesleyan women's basketball team saw their advantage dwindle down before Sylvia Liddle hit the game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining as Amherst walked away with a 49-46 victory on Friday night from LeFrak Gymnasium. Wesleyan (10-7, 1-4 NESCAC) loses their fourth straight road game while the Mammoths (15-4, 3-3 NESCAC) snap a two-game losing streak in NESCAC play.
 
Neither side got much going in the first quarter, with just four combined points scored in the first 5+ minutes. Amherst went 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) from the floor in the opening quarter and were held without a field goal make for the final 4:38 of the frame.
 
The script flipped in the second quarter for both teams as the two sides combined for 36 points in the second quarter alone, after the Cardinals took a 9-7 lead into the frame. Felicia Fongemie '27 was the go-to scorer, netting nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Anna Tranum came off the bench to score seven for Amherst in the second. After Amherst grabbed a 13-10 lead, Wesleyan countered with an 8-0 run to lead 18-13 with Fongemie either scoring or assisting on nine consecutive Cardinal points.
 
Leading 29-23 at halftime, the Cardinal defense continued to give Amherst problems as the Mammoths shot just 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) overall in the third quarter while Wesleyan hit all three of their three-point attempts. Fongemie, Olivia Quinn '26, and Madi Gomez '24 all hit from behind the arc in response to the Mammoths who scored the first 11 points of the second half, leading 34-29 midway through the third. Gomez hit a three, followed by Quinn, and after baskets from Fongemie and Quinn, it was 39-34 Cardinals after a 10-0 Wesleyan run.
 
Fongemie hit another triple on the final possession of the third quarter, giving Wesleyan a 43-36 lead entering the fourth, but the Cardinal offense completed stalled in the final quarter. Wesleyan went just 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) from the floor in the fourth, scoring just three points and turning the ball over seven times, allowing the Mammoths to get back into the game.
 
Despite the struggles on offense, Wesleyan still held Amherst to just 20 percent shooting (3-for-15) in the fourth quarter but six free throws for the Mammoths loomed large, setting the stage for the final minutes. After Amherst took a 46-44 lead with 3:34 remaining, neither team scored until Maggie Lee '23 hit a put back layup with 51 seconds left to tie the score.
 
Amherst's Kori Barach missed a layup on the other end, but Fongemie turned the ball over with 33 seconds left, setting up Liddle's game-winning layup with 11 seconds remaining. With one last chance to tie the score, Fongemie drove the basket but lost control of the ball, turning the ball back over to Amherst who iced the game away at the line.
                                                     
Fongemie led the way for Wesleyan with 14 points (6-12 FG, 2-2 3FG) while Quinn added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Alli Jones '27 also finished in double figures with 10 points.
 
Laura Mendell led the Mammoths with 17 points while Liddle finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
 
Wesleyan looks to regroup on Saturday with a 3 PM tip-off against Hamilton.