Fast Start Carries Pittsfield over Amherst

AMHERST, Mass. — It's hard to find a better start to the season than the one the Pittsfield girls' basketball team experienced against Amherst on Tuesday night. 

The Generals came out on fire, opening up a 22-4 lead after the first quarter en route to a 63-23 blowout win on the road. Pittsfield shot great from behind the arc, making nine of 23 attempts from three-point land. Senior captain Courtney McLaughlin set the tone early, making all three of her long-range shots in the first quarter. Besides being a big presence on the defensive end, McLaughlin also came through with a game-high 15 points and four assists. 

"Aggressive defense by our team really shut down Amherst early," Generals head coach Joe Racicot said. 

Pittsfield continued its solid play on the defensive end in the second half, holding the Hurricanes to just 10 points total in the final two quarters of play. Nine different players got in the scoring column for the Generals, who also received nine points from junior Dominique Satrape and eight points and four assists from freshman Emily Koldys. 

Sarah Mangels led the way for Amherst, finishing the game with 11 points. 

Pittsfield is now off until Tuesday, when they travels to Longmeadow for a 7 p.m. tip-off.