AMHERST, Mass. -- Bates College men's basketball delivered a statement performance Saturday afternoon as the No. 5 seed Bobcats went on the road and knocked off No. 4 Amherst, 70–59, in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Championship Tournament at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The victory marked Bates' first win at LeFrak since 1991 and sent the Bobcats to the NESCAC semifinals for the first time since the 2011–12 season. The win also provided redemption for the Bobcats, who fell 71–50 at Amherst earlier this season on Jan. 9. 

Bates opened the game with a pair of early three-pointers from Brady Coyne and Sean O'Leary, jumping out to a 6–0 lead. Amherst responded with a run midway through the first half, briefly building a 10-point cushion of 18-8 at the 8:35 mark. The Bobcats proceeded to unleash a 12-2 run to knot the score at 20-all with 2:16 left before intermission. 

Coyne's three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining in the half pulled the Bobcats even at 25–25 heading into the locker room.

The second half began with a back-and-forth stretch before Bates made its move. Peter Psyhogeos gave Bates its first lead of the half with a layup at the 17:42 mark, and after a brief exchange, Elliott Cravitz drained a three at 11:27 to put the Bobcats ahead 37–34.

From there, Bates steadily widened the margin. Coyne knocked down another three at 9:13 to push the lead to five, and the Bobcats repeatedly capitalized at the free-throw line as Amherst attempted to rally. Bates went 15-for-20 at the stripe in the second half, including a perfect 6-for-6 showing from Jamari Robinson.

A three-pointer by O'Leary at 3:18 extended the advantage to 56–45, and Bates closed the final minutes with composure, stretching the lead to as many as 15 points (68-53) before sealing the upset.

Coyne finished with a team-high 14 points, while Babacar Pouye added 12 and O'Leary and Psyhogeos chipped in 11 apiece. Psyhogeos also pulled down nine rebounds as Bates controlled the glass, 50–35.

Amherst (18-7) was limited to 26.3 percent shooting from the field and just 6-of-34 from three-point range. 

Bates will now travel to face top-seed Wesleyan next Saturday at 2 p.m. in the NESCAC semifinals. The Cardinals advanced with an 87–78 win over No. 8 Connecticut College. Bates and Wesleyan last met on Feb. 8, when the Bobcats fell 83–61 in Middletown, Conn.

No. 2 Tufts will take on No. 3 Trinity in the other semifinal match-up (4:30 p.m.).