Box Score WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – The Williams College Ephs (2-0) defeated the Clarks Summit Defenders (0-5) by a score of 98-54 in their home opener on Friday night.
Declan Porter knocked down 6 of his 11 tries from beyond the arc as he tallied 22 points to lead the Ephs to an 18-36 (50%) night from deep on the first night of a back-to-back.
"It felt great," Porter said of the win. "The atmosphere was good — it seems like the community is excited. It's just another game, and we take it one game at a time. I believe in these guys more than anybody else, so I'm excited for tomorrow."
"We always want to protect home court and play our best here," Eph head coach
Kevin App remarked. "A lot of families, friends, and local supporters were here, so we wanted to show them this team and who we are. I thought we did a good job of sharing the basketball and playing hard."
The Ephs scored the first 11 points of the game, forcing a timeout from Clarks Summit less than five minutes into the contest. Instrumental in the early run was a favorable turnover ratio: when
Declan Porter's second trey made the score 16-4, the Ephs were held a 6-1 advantage in that key statistic.
"They did a good job guarding Cole and Nate, so I just took the open ones," Porter humbly commented. "They happened to go in today."
The Ephs offensive success in the first half was much in part to their ball movement. Alex Lee cashed in his first three-pointer after a pump fake, before
Brandon Arnold found
Evan Glatzer for a backdoor cut that led to a layup. Just possessions later, Karren found
Ryan Moon for the senior's first bucket for the season; the Sacramento native then hit a long ball of his own after a dozen passes around the perimeter for a 32-7 advantage.
"We don't talk too much about how many three-pointers to shoot — we just want to get the most efficient shot on offense," App said. "The more guys you have who can make teams pay from deep and the more guys willing to share the ball the better — we're lucky to have a few of them."
Spivy and Porter hit from several feet behind the three-point arc to push the lead over 30. In the closing minutes of the half, Sammy Cooley bodied his way through the paint for his first collegiate points.
At the break, the Ephs held a 54-20 lead on 18-33 (54.5%) shooting from the field and 10-21 (48%) from long range. Their defense held the opposition to 8-26 (30%) shooting. Williams also held a notable 24-2 margin in points off turnovers.
The Ephs maintained energy throughout the second half as they built the lead above 40. The Defenders, however, embarked on a 9-2 run which prompted an App timeout. Out of the regroup, Ben McGraw nailed a trey from the corner next to the Ephs bench for a 67-32 lead with 13:02 remaining.
This evening demonstrated the depth of the Ephs, as all 13 available Ephs not only played but also scored. Despite the stacked roster and only a finite number of minutes available, each player is capable of having a significant impact on the game. "We've proven over the years that if you're working hard and performing, especially in practice, we'll do our best to reward you when we can. David Elien,
Dan Lee, and Isiah Dickens have all struggled with injuries and they've been back playing hard. We have a lot of individual strengths and it's our job to keep learning how they play together."
The Defenders battled the rest of the way, but the Ephs stayed focused to advance to a victory. Elien made the final shot of the night for the Ephs, who return to action tomorrow, Saturday afternoon, in Chandler at 3 p.m. against SUNY Delhi. They will seek to take home the trophy in the Purple & Gold Classic.
"One of the reasons we play these tournaments is to prepare for the NESCAC season when we have to play Friday and Saturday afternoon. You want to celebrate the success of Friday but don't want to get too high. We try to approach it by learning from Friday and focusing on the full weekend — win or lose. We were fortunate to win the first one tonight, but we have to let it go after dinner and lock in on a talented SUNY Delhi team tomorrow."
