AMHERST, Mass. — Saint Joseph’s College (28-2, 16-0 GNAC) fell to top-ranked Amherst College (29-0, 10-0 NESCAC), 53-47, in a hard-fought second round NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament contest at LeFrak Gymnasium on Saturday evening.

For the Monks, the loss ended a memorable 2017-18 season. Saint Joseph’s had its 27-game winning streak snapped.

With the victory, Amherst advances to the Sweet 16 for the 11th-consecutive season and will face Montclair State in the third round on Friday.

The Mammoths, the reigning national champions, have won 62 consecutive games with just one loss on their home court since the 2009 season.

The Monks matched the Mammoths punch for punch in the first half and held a 24-21 lead after junior forward Emily Benway made a layup with 2:29 left in the second quarter.

Amherst answered with four straight free throws in the final two minutes leading up to intermission and carried a 25-24 edge into halftime.

The Mammoths outscored the Monks by a 15-9 margin during the third period and held a 40-33 cushion going into the fourth frame.

Junior guard Kelsi McNamara scored five straight to move the Monks to within four points, 47-43, but the Mammoths held off Saint Joseph’s for the win.

Junior guard Julia Champagne of Brunswick pulled down six rebounds and scored three points for the Monks.

The Monks defeated UMass-Boston, 61-56, on Friday in the opening round.

Champagne paced Saint Joseph’s with 16 points, including 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. She added six boards and three steals.