MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Despite fighting back from a double-digit first half deficit to tie the score at 33-33, the Wesleyan women's basketball team couldn't complete the comeback as No. 15 ranked Amherst defeated the Cardinals 66-49 on Tuesday night from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan (4-5) suffers their first home defeat of the year while the Mammoths remain unbeaten at 5-0.
 
Amherst came out strong, outscoring Wesleyan 17-10 in the first quarter, benefiting from seven offensive rebounds which translated to nine more shot attempts in the opening quarter. Olivia Quinn '26 hit a pair of three-pointers while Alli Jones '27 had four points to account for the 10 Cardinal points in the opening frame.
 
The Mammoths grew their lead to as many as 10 points on three occasions in the second quarter, but Wesleyan kept pace and didn't let the game get away from them as the two sides both scored 16 points in the stanza. Quinn scored six more to give her 12 points in the first half while Meghan Kirck '28 sank a runner in transition in the final seconds before halftime to make it 33-26 Amherst at the break.
 
Wesleyan played their best stretch of basketball coming out of halftime, with Madie Dayton '28 hitting from deep then adding two more free throws before Jones put in a floater in transition to cap a 9-0 Wesleyan run, tying the score at 33-33.
 
Amherst decided to play through the Cardinal run, never taking timeout, and after denying Wesleyan twice on chances to take the lead, the Mammoths used a 14-3 run to restore a double-digit advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Even though the Cardinals held Amherst to a 3-for-11 showing from the floor in the fourth quarter, Wesleyan had too much ground to make up as the Mammoths buried 10-of-12 free throws while holding the Cardinals to 11 points in the fourth quarter to secure the road win.
 
Jones played one of the best all-around games of her career, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with 15 rebounds, three assists, no turnovers, and a career-high seven blocks. Quinn totaled 14 points, moving just 12 away from 1,000 for her career. Ali Murphy '27 came off the bench and had six points and five rebounds.
 
The Cardinals are back at home for their last home game of 2025 with a showdown against Skidmore at 7 PM on Thursday.