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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- With their last game before the Christmas
break, the Ephs (6-2) sent those few students able to get away from
exam-studying back to the library in style, defeating SUNY New
Paltz (3-5) by 37 points, 92-55.
“I can't imagine, as a coach, having a performance any
better than that prior to final exams and the Christmas
break,” said Eph coach Mike Maker, “It'll leave
everyone in good spirits for the holidays I think, and it gives us
a lot of optimism as far as how bright our future as a basketball
team is.”
Williams dominated for all twenty minutes of the first half.
Junior swingman Blake Schultz (Atherton, CA; 19.1 ppg) started the
game for the Ephs with a four-point play. Co-captain Kevin Snyder
(Littleton, CO; 20.3 ppg) followed him up with a three from the
wing, and moments later junior Alex Rubin (Chevy Chase, MD) ran the
floor for an easy two to give Williams a 9-0 lead barely two
minutes into the game.
A New Paltz timeout would do nothing to quell the Williams
onslaught, though junior forward Lee Bertram would finally put the
Hawks on the board with a short-jumper coming out of the timeout.
The Hawks, however, looked helpless as the Ephs made 9 of their
first 12 shots from the field to push their lead to 23-6.
The half almost looked like an exercise in contrast. Great ball
movement by the Ephs, such as a nifty backdoor cut by Snyder for a
lay-in and some quality perimeter passing to find Will Hardy
(Richmond, VA) in the corner for a wide open three, helped Williams
send the Hawks to the locker room down 54-22. New Paltz, on the
other hand, couldn't seem to find an offensive rhythm in
forcing some quick shots.
The Ephs shot a deceptive 48% from the field in the first half, as
they cooled off substantially in the later minutes of the period.
Williams was also 10 of 20 from long range.
Snyder and Schultz led the way with 16 points each in the first
half.
The Hawks were held to just 28% shooting in the first half and
didn't make a single three-pointer (0 for 7). They also
struggled on the glass, allowing nine Eph offensive rebounds.
Were it not for freshman guard Shereef Taylor, the Hawks
might've been in even worse shape in the first half. Taylor
scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting for New Paltz in the first
twenty minutes.
Perhaps the most striking evidence of Williams offensive dominance
in the first half was their performance in the assist category. The
Ephs registered 16 assists as a team while turning the ball over
just three times.
“We're big on sharing the ball; shoot it when
you're open, pass it when you're not,” said
Maker, “We have great character on our basketball team and we
have a lot of shooters so we can hurt you in a lot of different
ways.”
At the 9:30 mark senior Tommas Golia (La Jolla, CA) got loose on a
fast break and was intentionally fouled. Golia made 1 of 2, and on
the ensuing Williams possession the six-foot guard assisted a
Schultz three to give Williams a 78-34 lead.
With under ten minutes left Williams was able to get their younger
guys in. With 7:39 to play freshman Brian Emerson (Arlington, MA)
hit a three to give the Ephs their biggest lead of the game,
80-34.
Snyder led all scores with 27 points on a sizzling 10 for 17 from
the field (6 of 9 from 3-pt range) in just 26 minutes. Schultz was
right behind him with nearly identical numbers for 23 points (9 for
16, 4 of 6 from 3-pt range).
When asked what contributed to the Ephs offensive showcase Tuesday
night, Maker bluntly responded “Practice time. We've
had limited practice time because of how many games we had earlier
in the season. The practice time we've had over the last week
or so has really helped with our comfort level.”
For the Hawks there were few bright spots. Taylor finished with 18
points to lead the team, and Bertram and Hauser added 10 apiece
however neither shot better than 40% in doing so.
Williams will break for a couple weeks for finals and the
Christmas break. Said Maker, “It's a shame in a sense
because of how well I think we're progressing right now, but
we'll bring them back on the 27th for double sessions and do
our best to get ready for our game the 29th. It's new
territory for me, but I really admire our guys so much for what
they go through on a daily basis here as true student
athletes.”
Williams won't play again until December 29th, when they
take on Nichols College on the campus of Salem State as part of the
first round of the Salem State Tournament. Game time is TBA.
