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TROY, NY-The Williams men's basketball team (4-0) battled to a
75-65 victory over RPI (1-2), getting to the foul line 24 times in
the second half. On the day Williams attempted 21 more free
throws than the Red Hawks, and the second half surge from the
charity stripe played a key role in the Ephs overcoming a one point
deficit at the half.
Despite having four players score in double digits, the Ephs
shot only 42% from the field-down substantially from sizzling
numbers in their first two games.
Said Eph coach Dave Paulsen, "it was a good win when we didn't
play our best offensively...I think only one of our starters shot
above fifty percent for the game, but-- especially in the second
half-we moved the ball, limited the turnovers, and got to the foul
line which I think was key."
As is usually the case in college basketball, it was all about
the second half on Sunday for the Ephs. In addition to
holding RPI to just 11% shooting from beyond the arc in the second
half, Williams did an improved job guarding the game's leading
scorer, Red Hawk senior forward Sam Simmons (20 points, 6
rebounds).
"The kid Simmons is as good an inside player as we've seen this
year, and we did a better job of making him work for his shot in
the second half," said Paulsen.
As has often been the case over the last few seasons, senior
Chris Shalvoy paced the Ephs Sunday, scoring 16 points while
dishing out 6 assists (both team-highs). Blake Shultz '10 and
Kevin Snyder '09 added 14 and 12 points respectively, while
sophomore Joe Geohegan added 11. Paulsen, however, was quick
to praise his bench:
"Matt Weisbrot '08 and Grant Meyer '09 did a great job for us
off the bench, especially on the glass as Meyer grabbed four
offensive rebounds for us."
For the first time this season the Ephs failed to out rebound
their opponent more than 10, but still won the rebounding battle 33
to 31.
After going 4-0 on the road to start the season, the Ephs will
play their home opener this Tuesday against Framingham State.
The game is slated to begin at 7:30 pm.
