Senior forward Andrew Schiel scored 28 points to lead Amherst College to an 87-82 comeback overtime victory over Westfield State in first night action of the Pioneer Valley Men’s Hoop Classic. Springfield College held off Western New England College, 60-58, in the other first round game.
Amherst, ranked eighth nationally by d3hoops.com, improved to 4-0 as it rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to survive Westfield State’s (1-4) major upset bid.
The Lord Jeffs sent the game into overtime at 72-all when senior guard Russell Lee drained a wide open 3-point basket from the top of the key with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.
Amherst took the lead for good in the overtime on a 3-pointer by the 6-7, 235 pound Schiel with 4:27 remaining. The Owls closed to within a point, 81-80, on a jumper by Bayete Gordon with 1:14 remaining. But Amherst nailed another 3-pointer (by John Casnocha) for an 84-80 lead with 58 seconds remaining.
Westfield took a 35-25 halftime lead as the cold-shooting Lord Jeffs shot 30 percent from the field. The Owls expanded the lead to 18 points, 55-37 with 13:12 remaining in the second half, by pressuring Amherst into numerous turnovers. But the Lord Jeffs battled back to tie the game at 67-all with 3:53 remaining with some strong inside play and 3-point shooting.
Amherst was 9-for-25 from beyond the arc, including 6-14 in the final 25 minutes. Amherst’s depth was evident with seven players making 3-point baskets. Westfield, meanwhile, made only one 3-pointer in five attempts the entire game.
The Owls’ balanced attack was led by Gordon, a speedy 5-7 junior point guard. The former Amherst Regional High School standout finished with 23 points, four assists and three steals. Also scoring in double figures for Westfield were junior forward Mike Jurkowski of Belchertown, senior forward Vaso Jaukovic (16) and sophomore guard Gavin Illangakoon (13).
Senior guard John Bedford was Amherst’s only other player in double figures with 13 points.