Vassar College also won its first-round matchup against Curry College, 77-57, and will meet Amherst in the championship game Saturday at 3 p.m.
The host Jeffs came out of the gates a bit sluggish, leading only 8-6 just under four minutes into the game, until senior guard Russell Lee (Lorton, VA) nailed one of 14 Amherst three-pointers to spark a 16-0 run from which Medgar Evers would never recover.
The second half brought much of the same as Amherst opened with a 20-2 flurry, ignited once again by a Lee trifecta, and the Jeffs led by as many as 54 points despite emptying their bench in both halves. Amherst forced Medgar Evers into a whopping 24 turnovers while shooting 56.5% (39-for-69) overall and 53.8% (14-for-26) from three-point land.
Amherst junior forward John Casnocha (San Francisco, CA) joined Bedford and Schiel in double figures with 11 points, while Lee chipped in with nine and sophomores Tim McLaughlin (Chatham, NJ) and Dan O’Shea (Lawrence, MA) and rookies Fletcher Walters (Ann Arbor, MI) and Kevin Hopkins (Greenfield Center, NY) added eight apiece. Walters paced the Jeffs on the boards with six rebounds.
Medgar Evers sophomore Jamaal Jessimy (Brooklyn, NY) poured in a game-high 15 points in defeat.
Saturday’s tournament action will include a consolation game between Curry and Medgar Evers. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.