Williams cruises past Salem State 77-62 to improve to 3-0

Williamstown, Ma -- The Williams Men's basketball team improved to 3-0 with a 77-62 victory over Salem State on Sunday afternoon. 

Williams was led by junior Spencer Spivy with 17 points and six rebounds. Three other Ephs got into double figures as well. Sophomore Nate Karren scored 14 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, as well as sophomore Cole Prowitt-Smith and first year Brandon Roughley who each scored 11. 

The Ephs came out on fire from three point range, knocking down four triples on four attempts in four consecutive possessions. Sophomore Cole Prowitt-Smith began the barrage of three pointers, followed by senior Jovan Jones, first year Declan Porter, and junior Spencer Spivy. The lights out shooting from the Ephs gave them a 14-2 lead just over four minutes into the game.

The Ephs were able to create open looks from great ball movement against the Salem St. zone, with ten of their fifteen field goals coming off of assists in the first half.

Ephs coach Kevin App spoke on the team's response to different looks defensively from their opponent after three games, "It's what we hope for in the non-conference games, to see some different things from different teams. We can do things in practice, but going against another team in a competitive environment is really where you learn a lot about yourself as a team."

Williams took a 39-21 lead heading into the break after a half that saw nine different Eph players get into the scoring column.

Williams continued their strong play in the second half. Sophomore Brandon Arnold had a solid game for the Ephs, scoring multiple tough baskets off of offensive rebounds.

Salem State cut the lead to 12 with 2:30 left to play after an 8-0 individual scoring run from senior Javier Osorio. The Ephs however did not allow any points for the Vikings from that point on. 



"I thought we did great. These weekends are long and I thought that we got up big a couple times and relaxed. To take the final step eventually we can't relax like that." Coach App said regarding the Vikings' run in the final minutes of the game. "We've got a lot of guys that can make plays and make shots. The biggest thing for us tonight was just staying poised against their zone. I thought during long stretches we were great at it, and then when we relaxed is when some turnovers happen and rust plays happen."

The Ephs finished off their solid offensive night shooting 48% from the field and 90% from the free throw line. 

Williams gets out on the court again on Tuesday, November 23 at home at 7pm vs MCLA.