Box Score MIDDLEBURY, VT – Williams men's basketball fell to Middlebury this afternoon 73-61 in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament. Middlebury improved to 23-2 on the season, while Williams fell to 17-8.
Middlebury advances to the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament next weekend, while Williams will now await word as to whether or not it will an at large bid to the NCAA tournament.
While neither team shot well from the field for the game – Middlebury hit 38 percent of its shots, while Williams knocked down 34 of its attempts – the Ephs' shooting from three was a difference maker in the game, as Williams went only 4-29 from beyond the arc.
"I really thought we defended extremely well," Williams head coach Mike Maker said. "Our effort defensively was phenomenal. We just didn't shoot it. We had some open looks. We are a team that from behind the arc, that's how we need to hurt teams, and we didn't do that today, which would have been especially important against Middlebury who has tremendous size on the interior… Our inability to make open big shots from the perimeter was the difference in the game tonight."
Middlebury was led by Ryan Sharry, who scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots. Jake Wolfin and Joey Kizel joined Sharry in double figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively; each scored eight of his points from the free throw line.
Nate Robertson led the Eph offense with 19 points and three assists; the Eph also pulled in five boards. Michael Mayer and Hayden Rooke-Ley added 14 and 10 points, respectively, to the Ephs' effort.
Both teams had trouble finding offensive rhythm throughout the first half, as Williams only managed a 8-34 shooting performance while Middlbury went 11-31 from the field. The early going found the Panthers and Ephs going back and forth, and neither team was able to open up a substantial lead. However, Middlebury changed that after a jumper from Sharry with 11:09 to play made the score 10-9 Williams; the jumper sparked a 10-0 Panther run that made the score 19-10 and saw the Ephs not score until Robertson was fouled making a darting lay-up with 4:59 to play in the half.
Robertson's free throw following the lay-up made the score 19-13 Middlebury, but the bucket did not fully spark the Eph offense. Middlebury went up by as many as 11 before the half closed, as Peter Lynch knocked down two free throws to make the score 32-21 Middlebury with three seconds to play. The Ephs got a chance to take the momentum back before the half closed, however, as Hayden Rooke-Ley drilled a running three from just beyond half court to make the score 32-24 headed into the break.
The Ephs came out of the locker-room aggressively, going on an 11-6 run coming out of the break, capped by a three from James Wang in the corner that made the score 38-35 in favor of Middlebury with 15:23 to play in the game.
Middlebury quickly went back up six on an and-one layup from Sharry, and the Panther lead hovered between four and eight over the next several minutes. A layup from Mayer made the score 47-43 in favor of Middlebury with 10:57 to play; it was the closest the Ephs would come for the rest of the game. The Panthers scored on their next trip down the court, and a layup from Wolfin with 7:46 to play made the score 51-43 Middlebury. The Ephs managed to stay within striking distance until the final minutes, but could not get closer than six points. Good foul shooting extended the Panthers' lead in the final minutes, as they walked off the floor with the 12-point victory.
