WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – The Williams College Ephs (9-0) triumphed over the Springfield Pride (2-6) in an annual regional matchup to send the Ephs into winter break undefeated. Physical defense held the Pride to just 18 points in the first half, and 43% shooting from downtown helped propel the Ephs to victory in Chandler Gym. Williams was an 11 or 16 point scorer away from a "straight" on the afternoon —
Nate Karren tallied 15,
Declan Porter had 14,
Spencer Spivy scored 13, and
Hudson Hansen put up 12.
"It's really been different guys in different stretches who have stepped up," Eph head coach
Kevin App said of the Ephs' balanced scoring attack tonight and throughout the non-conference schedule. "That's how we want to play — we want to be hard to guard because teams can't just take one thing away. If we just find the best shot, it's usually in the hands of a guy who is capable of making it."
While emphasizing his pride in the win, App knows his student-athletes must gear up academically over the coming week: "We've accomplished all we can to this point," he said. "We've stepped up to the challenges all semester, and now they have to step up to the next challenge of final exams."
The first Williams score came as Porter tipped a miss out to
Cole Prowitt-Smith, who knocked down his attempt from deep. On the following possession, Prowitt-Smith read the double team and kicked the ball out to Spivy — the senior buried the trey for a 6-0 start.
With the Ephs sporting a lineup featuring the first-year duo of Hansen and
Alex Lee, Hansen showed off his wingspan as he kissed the ball in off the glass while drawing contact — his subsequent free throw put the Ephs up 14-5 with 13:40 to go in the half.
The Ephs, however, would not score another field goal for almost seven minutes — Hanson halted the drought as he used a similar move to splash the Ephs ahead 20-9 with 7:08 left in the period. Despite a lack of field goals, the Ephs executed their defensive principles extremely well to maintain a solid edge. Consistently switching, Springfield often found themselves hit with a double team as soon as they touched the ball. Specifically,
Brandon Arnold forced a traveling violation via an "up and down" as a result of tight coverage.
Karren was on the bench longer than usual in the half due to picking up two early fouls; however, he was efficient in scoring five points in a 2:30 segment. As the Ephs picked up steam, Porter hit a 35-footer to beat the shot clock buzzer — a bucket so hot that that it coincided a bit too well with the fire alarm sounding (the alarm was accidental, and fans did not have to evacuate the building).
Brandon Roughley hit a pair of free throws to send the Ephs into the locker room with a 33-18 advantage. The Ephs shot 8-23 (34%) from the field in the half while holding the Pride to 7-32 (22%). Seven players registered points for Williams.
After scoring 18 in the first half, Springfield tallied 11 in the first four minutes of the second. The Ephs proved persistent on offense, however, and Spivy laid in a floater for a 47-34 lead with 12:20 remaining. On the next possession, Spivy finished a pass from Karren through a narrow window for his 10th point of the afternoon.
As the Pride cut the deficit to 11, Prowitt-Smith went up and under for his signature "Tostitos scoop" to put Williams ahead 54-41 with 7:55 to play. The next four baskets for the Ephs were three-pointers — Porter, then Karren, Porter again, and Spivy.
Hansen scored the final five Eph points of the game to total 12 for the day on 4-5 shooting. As a team, the Ephs shot 24-53 (45%) to top the Pride's 21-69 (30%) performance.
The Ephs now head into a two-week hiatus from games. Going into the break, App feels the #4 ranked Ephs still can get significantly better in many areas. At the same time, however, he spoke highly of the squad's successes: "They've handled games on the road, low-scoring games, and different styles. Through it all, they've stayed connected and confident with each other, which is great for coaches to see. We have a group that believes that they'll find their way regardless of any play or situation."
Fans of the Ephs can find them next at the Clark Holiday Tournament in Worcester, MA at the end of December. They'll take on Clark University at 3 p.m. on December 29th, before facing Anna Maria at 4 p.m. on the 30th.
