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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. –Williams men's
basketball continued its run of dominating play against Bates this
afternoon in the NESCAC semifinals, dropping the Bobcats 71-48 in
Chandler Gymnasium. The Ephs, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the
country, now stand at 25-1 on the season and have won 16
straight games. Bates ended the season with a 14-12 record.
Williams shot their lowest percentage of the season on threes,
going only 1-14 for 7 percent shooting, but made up for it with
stellar defense and strong work inside, as the team scored 48
points in the paint. The Ephs finished the game with 50 percent
shooting from the field while managing to hold the Bobcats to 35.5
percent.
James Wang and Blake Schultz led the way for Williams, as Wang
finished with 20 points on 9-13 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 6
assists, and Schultz scored 15 points to go along with 5 rebounds
and 4 steals. Wang was particularly lethal going to the hole, as
the Eph point guard scored each of his nine field goals in the
lane. Wang and Schultz were the only Ephs in double figures, but
the center tandem of Troy Whittington and Joe Geoghegan combined
for 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
Brian Ellis and Alex Gallant were the only Bobcats in double
figures, with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Ellis also led the
way for the Bobcats on the boards with 7 rebounds.
Bates stayed close to Williams throughout the first half, though
the Ephs never trailed in the game. Wang and Schultz combined to
score or assist on the first 19 points for Williams, and the Ephs
managed to open up a 19-11 lead with 9:47 to play in the half. The
Ephs twice opened up an 11-point lead, first when a free
throw by Harlan Dodson made the score 24-13 with 6:29 to play, then
when Wang drove through the Bobcat defense for a layup to
make the score 32-21 with 1:52 remaining. The Bobcats then scored
on their final possession to make the score 32-23 headed into the
break.
As the second half began, it looked as though Bates might
challenge Williams, with the Bobcats opening the half on an 8-4 run
to cut the Eph lead to five, 36-31, 3:39 into the half. Williams
still led by five, 42-37, with 12:31 to play in the half –
then the Ephs made their run. Williams scored 11 straight points to
open up a 53-37 lead, and the Eph run didn't stop Wang scored
his final points on a layup to make the score 69-44 with 4:04 to
play. All Eph starters then left the game, and Williams
ultimately claimed the victory by the 23-point margin.
“We won today because of our toughness, determination, and
our will,” said Eph head coach Mike Maker. “That was
the difference in the second half. We have talented players that
don't get enough credit for their defense.”
“We can win in a variety of ways,” Maker
continued. “We don't have to just shoot threes, and we
don't always have to play an aesthetically pleasing brand of
basketball. Bates chose to take away the three-point shot, so we
chose to drive and feed the ball inside. Ultimately, though, we won
because of our defense today.”
Williams will now take on Middlebury in the NESCAC championship
finals tomorrow at noon, as the Panthers knocked off the Colby
Mules in the second of today's games, 65-48. Williams played
Middlebury last on Jan. 29 in Middlebury, defeating the Panthers
79-64. The matchup will pit the best offensive team in the NESCAC
in Williams against the best defensive team in the NESCAC in
Middlebury. The Ephs score 86 points per game on 53 percent
shooting, while the Panthers hold their opponents to only 60 points
per game and 36 percent shooting.
“We have great respect for Middlebury,” said Maker.
“I think what stands out the most with Middlebury is how good
they are defensively and their size. I think [Middlebury head coach
Jeff] Brown has done an unbelievable job in his tenure at
Middlebury. They have tough kids, they do it the right way,
they're classy, they're a good basketball team
especially defensively, they're well balanced, and they can
hurt you a lot of ways. It will definitely be a challenge.”
