AMHERST, MA-In a hard-fought non-conference match up, the
defending national champion Lord Jeffs (10-3) prevailed at home
over the Ephs (12-1), 87-80. It was the 195th match up of the
rivalry, with Williams now leading 111-84 after the loss.
For really the first time all season the Ephs found themselves
to be the undersized team as Amherst sporting a starting lineup of
6'6", 6'7", 6'7", and 6'10" to go along with All-American point
guard Andrew Olsen (5'10").
If there was a balancing factor for the Ephs though, it was the
crowd. With the majority of Amherst students still on break
for the non-conference match-up, the game might as well have been a
Williams home game given the amount of Eph students packing LeFrak
Gymnasium.
Amherst won the tip and converted on their first
possession. Unimpressed, Rose answered back right away for
the Ephs with a deep three-pointer. Williams seemed
determined to take the fight to the Jeffs right away, as on
back-to-back possessions Chris Shalvoy and Kevin Snyder attacked
the rim and drew fouls.
The high-point of the first half for Williams came when Shalvoy
drove the lane and made a smooth behind-the-back pass to Joe
Geoghegan for a lay-up and 10-9 Williams lead. From there it
would be all Amherst though, as the Jeffs rattled off a 14-0 run,
taking a 23-10 lead to the 10:16 mark.
At 4:22 an Amherst three-pointer would give them their biggest
lead of the half at 36-20, as the Ephs just couldn't seem to keep
up with the hot-shooting Jeffs. For the half Amherst shot an
even 50% from the field while the Ephs managed only 29%; 22% from
behind the arc. The size and length of the Amherst interior
players no doubt played a role in the Ephs trouble shooting, as the
Jeffs registered an amazing 7 blocks in the first half alone.
Down 41-28 to open the half, it was Shalvoy who pulled the Ephs
back into the game, starting the second half with two
three-pointers in Williams first few possessions as the Ephs
narrowed the lead to single-digits. Moments later Matt
Weisbrot would convert a lay-up moments later to make it 52-45 as
the Ephs cut the lead to its smallest margin since early in the
first half. As they had done all game though, the Jeffs would
have an answer, this time in the form of an 8-0 run. The run
was sparked by senior forward Brandon Jones, who hit two threes in
the first two minutes of the Amherst run. Jones had a monster
day, filling up the stat sheet with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4
blocks. Said Eph coach Dave Paulsen, "He had a turnaround
fade-away about 4 or 5 feet off the block during their run -
there's not a whole lot you can do about that."
Said Coach Paulsen regarding the Amherst run in the second half:
"When you've got two really good teams I don't think anyone's
gonna make a run that doesn't get answered; but I think fatigue for
us definitely played a factor, and then we just missed some shots,
most of the shots we had were good looks though."
The Jeffs would keep the heat on, stretching the lead to 22 with
fewer than 9 minutes to go. From there however the Jeffs
would get a little complacent. Williams was able to force
some turnovers and convert offensively, and before anyone had
blinked the Lord Jeff lead was manageable again.
Still, it didn't seem the Ephs were really back in the game
until a big three by - you guessed it - Chris Shalvoy brought the
Ephs to within six, 78-72 with 44 seconds to play in the
game.
Missed free throws keyed the Eph comeback, as the Lord Jeffs
simply couldn't convert their free throws after Williams started
fouling at the 2-minute mark. In accordance with this theme,
Shalvoy's three was followed up by Jeff guard Steven Wheeler making
just 1 out of 2 at the other end. On the ensuing Eph
possession, junior guard Tommas Golia swished home a bomb of a
three-pointer from way past NBA range.
With the score now 79-75 and 34 seconds showing on the clock,
Williams was back in the thick of it. Just as quickly though,
the Lord Jeffs would put it away, this time by doing the opposite
of what jumpstarted the Eph rally to begin with - making their free
throws. Jeff point guard Andrew Olsen stepped up to the line
after a dead ball foul and swished both his free throws to make it
81-75, and Amherst would hold on for the win.
Said Paulsen, "Amherst is a very good defensive team, they
always have been...at times we had some success driving the ball on
them, but we didn't do that consistently enough."
Regarding the Ephs comeback from a 22-point deficit in the
second half Paulsen was encouraged yet cautioned against so-called
"moral victories":
"We competed like we felt we belonged in the second half
and we didn't in the first half...you can't do that against a team
like Amherst."
Williams will return to action on Tuesday vs. Lasell. Game
time is set for 7:30 pm.
