AMHERST, Mass. - Amherst College jumped to a 9-0 lead and never looked back in rolling to an easy 92-56 victory over Western New England College in an opening round game of the sixth annual Pioneer Valley Men's Hoop Classic Friday night (Dec. 1) at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The Jeffs, ranked third in the d3hoops.com poll, shot 57.6% in the opening 20 minutes and took a 49-31 lead in the locker room at half-time.

Sophomore guard Matt Maynard (Paterson, NJ) led the Golden Bears with 13 points while junior forward Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT) had 11 points.

Junior guard Ryan Hernandez (Hampton Bays, NY) came off the bench to add 10 points while senior center Deon Thomas (Albany, NY) contributed eight points and four rebounds in a reserve role.

Amherst (4-0) had four players in double figures led by senior forward Dan Wheeler (Bloomington, MN) with 16 points.

Western New England College (1-4) will face Westfield State (who defeated Springfield 75-72) at 1:00 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 2) in the second day of competition at the Clsssic.