Boxscore
Photo
Gallery
Williamstown, MA –
Second-ranked Williams men's basketball triumphed over
conference co-leader Colby 82-58 tonight to seize control of the
NESCAC. The Ephs are now 20-1 on the season and 6-0 in the NESCAC,
while Colby, ranked 25th in the country, is now 16-3 and 5-1
in the conference.
Five Ephs scored in double figures and the
team shot 45% from the field, but the Williams' defense was
the deciding factor in the game, as Colby only converted on 34% of
its field goal attempts and the Ephs picked up 10 steals. Adam
Choice was the only Mule in double figures with 24 points.
Colby appeared to have more than a fighting
chance as the game began, as a Choice layup made the score 11-6 in
favor of Colby with 14:23 to play in the half. The Mules played
stellar defense over the first 10 minutes of the game, as the Ephs
opened the half 3-10 from the field. However, the Ephs were able to
fight back with a 9-2 run in spite of the Mules' efforts, and
an Alex Rubin three from 30 feet made the score 15-14 with 9:57 to
play.
Despite its slim lead, the Ephs appeared as
though they might struggle when starting point guard and
second-leading scorer James Wang picked up his third foul with 8:16
to play in the half, holding a 15-14 lead. However, back up point
guard Nate Robertson was more than up to the challenge. With Wang
on the bench, Robertson came in and scored or assisted on 20 of the
Ephs' final 25 points of the half while the Ephs shut down
the Mules' offense the rest of the way, and the team entered the
half up 42-22.
“I thought the game changed when Nate
came in,” said Eph head coach Mike Maker. “I was
concerned when James picked up his third foul, but it enabled Nate
to take the reigns of the offense, get out and run, find his
teammates, and be assertive. It has been someone else every night,
and Nate gave us an extra boost and the cushion we needed going
into half time tonight.”
The second half brought more of the Eph
onslaught. Colby scored the first four points of the half and Maker
called time out only 1:06 into the half, but then Williams took
over. With the score 42-26 and 18:54 to play in the half, the Ephs
went on a 21-4 run over the next 6:19 to make the score 63-30 with
12:35 to play and put the game out of reach for the Mules.
Every Eph starter was out of the game with
8:24 to play in the game and the score 75-46. the The Ephs shot
10-18 in the half's opening 12 minutes. Every Mule starter
was out of the game by the six-minute mark, and the game ended with
the final of 82-58. The lone down side of the half for Williams was
that Robertson collided with a Mule with 15:54 to play in the half;
he was forced to substitute with a cut above his eye, and did not
reenter the game.
Robertson finished the game as the Ephs'
leading scorer with 14 points and also picked up 4 assists. Blake
Schultz scored 13 in his 100th game in a Williams uniform,
while Wang, Troy Whittington, and Harlan Dodson scored 11, 14, and
12 points respectively. In addition, Wang picked up 4 assists and 6
rebounds, and Whittington grabbed 7 boards and 3 steals. Joe
Geoghegan led the way for the Ephs on the glass with 8 rebounds.
Maker was particularly pleased with not only
his team's defense for the game, but also its improvement on
the defensive end of the floor for the season. “We have good
players who are tough-minded, disciplined, and hungry,” he
said. “We committed after last season to getting better
defensively as team, and we have."
“We get a lot of credit for our offense,
and rightfully so, but I think that we haven't received
enough credit for our defense until recently,” he continued.
“It is a collective effort; we have committed players who pay
attention to detail, we can go both big and small, and we have
depth. That has made a big difference this season.”
The Ephs will take on Bowdoin tomorrow at 4 pm
in Chandler Gymnasium; the Polar Bears fell to Middlebury tonight
and are 3-3 in the conference. Tomorrow will be Senior Day for the
Williams squad.
“There are not enough adjectives I could
use to describe how I feel about the senior class,” said
Maker. “The seniors' contributions not just on the
basketball court, but to the institution and to the community, have
left Williams a better place than when they arrived …. I
hope tomorrow we can give them the send off in Chandler they richly
deserve.”
