The Eagles opened the game by creating several open looks but were unable to convert on any of their opportunities while the hosts hit on five of their opening drives including two dunks by David George to take an early 10-0 lead. Green Mountain ended the run courtesy of a Patrick Rittmon layup over five minutes into the game. 

After the Eagles' Pierce Weatherspoon made a layup to make it 18-6 Amherst, the hosts proceeded to take a commanding lead with an 11-0 run including nine points by reserve Michael Riopel. 

The Eagles' shooting woes continued through the first half as witnessed  by the team's 8-of-37 mark from the floor in the opening stanza. Meanwhile the Purple and White were quite efficient hitting on 54.1 percent of their attempts from the field and outrebounded GMC 36-10 to build a 47-18 lead by the half.  

Weatherspoon scored 11 of his team-high 13 points in the second half, while Rittmon and Kenneth Parker each scored four points in the frame. The Eagles collectively rebounded the ball much better in the second half holding a 24-23 advantage on the glass. However, the team continued to struggle shooting the ball especially from the charity stripe where it converted just 5-of 21 attempts overall. 

In addition to his 13 points, Weatherspoon tied with Thomas Brown for the team lead in rebounds with five. Javier Lugris notched eight points and four boards in his 2016-17 debut while Brown, Rittmon and Parker each scored six points. 

Riopel netted a team-high 13 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, pulled in six rebounds, and dished out four assists to help fuel the win. Jayde Dawson added 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while George followed with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. 

The Eagles will take on Johnson & Wales University (0-1) in the consolation contest tomorrow at 1 p.m.