The Roundup: All the Stuff You Missed In Sports This Week

Field Hockey: After taking down Colby in an upset victory last weekend, Amherst traveled to face Bates this Saturday. Sage Geyer ’22 broke down the Bobcats’ defense when she scored on a redirect from a penalty corner. Bates responded at the end of the first quarter to tie the game, but Amherst struck back as time wound down in the second corner to put the Mammoths in the lead headed into halftime. The second half, however, was dominated by Bates, who in addition to dominating possession and earning more penalty corners, scored two goals in the span of 50 seconds late in the third period to snatch victory from the Mammoths. Amherst returned to action on Tuesday night when they faced Trinity in Hartford.

Amherst started strong, as Franny Daniels ’21 netted a goal three minutes into the match. However, Trinity would battle back, evening the score at 1-1 late in the fourth quarter.

Despite the chance to take the lead back, the Bantams’ attack proved too strong, and Trinity scored a decisive goal with two minutes left to win 2-1.

FWomen’s Soccer: The Mammoths made a statement with a win on Saturday when they traveled to Lewiston, Maine to take on Bates. Sophia Fikke ’22 opened the scoring three minutes into the match when she tapped on home past the Bobcats netminder. Ruby Hastie ’22, who has excelled on the wing this season, added to the tally when her shot went off the post and into the back of the net. Alexa Juarez ’22 recovered her own header after it ricocheted off the crossbar, and shot to bring the Mammoths up 3-0. Alexa would later tally another goal, this time with her head directly.

With the win, Amherst moves 5-3-1 in the NESCAC as the playoff picture comes into focus. Amherst traveled to face Trinity on Tuesday in order to book a ticket to the NESCAC Tournament.

The Mammoths and the Bantams remained scoreless through the first half, but Sloane Askins ’20 slotted home a goal early in the second frame to put the Mammoths up 1-0. Amherst continued the scoring, winning 4-1.

NBA Controversy Surrounding Hong Kong and China: Earlier this month, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a now-deleted tweet expressing his support for protests in Hong Kong opposing the undemocratic changes to the city’s governance model. The Chinese government retaliated by condemning the remarks, censoring games and blacking out the Rockets’ first games of the year. China is currently the NBA’s biggest international market. Adam Silver and the rest of the league defended Morey and other players’ rights to free speech. The league has been criticized for its stances by both the government of the United States and the government of China, with Vice President Mike Pence labeling the NBA a “wholly-owned subsidiary of [China’s] authoritarian regime.”

This schism between the league and its long-standing and profitable partner comes on the heels of a $1.5 billion agreement between the NBA and Shenzen-based Tencent Holdings to broadcast the league’s games online in China. The league had previously said that it had hoped the beginning of the season would temper the feud, but an end does not seem to be on the cards for the two parties.

Even if the official channels are closed, the NBA’s brand remains strong, with tens of millions of Chinese citizens tuning into games over the weekend.