MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Williams College Ephs (17-3, 5-3 NESCAC) defeated the Middlebury Panthers (18-6, 7-3 NESCAC) by a score of 78-61 in the conference semifinals on Saturday afternoon. In the second meeting between the teams this year, the Ephs shot 50% from downtown in the first half to take an 18-point lead into the break. The Panthers trimmed the deficit as low as 13 points in the final minutes, but Williams held on to move into championship game against Wesleyan.
"I thought we competed defensively for the entire game and made their shooters have to work for everything, and then we settled into the moment offensively and made plays," Eph head coach
Kevin App remarked after the game. "Coach Brown and his group are as well-coached, classy, and hard-playing as they come. Anytime we can beat them, no matter when, you're proud of the team."
The Panthers came into the contest having won 15 of their last 18 games after starting 2-2. Their three losses came against the other top three regular season NESCAC teams of Williams, Wesleyan, and Tufts. Perhaps the strongest effort of the Ephs season to date, however, was a 78-53 win over Middlebury on January 22. At the time, Eph head Coach
Kevin App was proud of the win but was more excited to proclaim, "We know we can get a lot better." The Panthers, who average 77 points per game, also posted their lowest scoring total in the previous matchup.
"If you had told me after that moment that we would to shut down for two and a half weeks and not practice with our full team, I wouldn't have known how much better we could get," App said today. "Over the last couple of weeks, we've been able to get in some practices and big wins over Amherst and Middlebury, who we respect a lot. I think physically we're back to where we were at that point, and now we're getting the mental and emotional part."
Spencer Spivy recorded the first basket for the Ephs, putting the team on the board with a contested jump shot 1:32 into play.
Cole Prowitt-Smith buried his first attempt from deep on the following possession, and the teams would proceed to exchange baskets. A
Nate Karren floater gave the Ephs a 7-6 lead a quarter of the way through the first half.
The Ephs second unit entered the game for Williams 6 minutes into play, and a
Brandon Roughley inside basket immediately gained the Ephs an 11-8 edge. The Panthers responded with a 5-0 burst, however, and took a 13-11 lead. The Middlebury edge did not last long —
Jovan Jones splashed in a three-pointer and Prowitt-Smith made it 16-13. After
Brandon Arnold finished a cut to the rim, Roughley hit a trey for an 8-point Ephs advantage with 7:13 to go.
"We saw today guys excelling in their role and knowing what to do," App said. "I think we can still always get better at details, and Wesleyan will challenge those areas like rebounding and valuing the basketball."
Prowitt-Smith cashed in a look from a several feet beyond the arc for the highlight play of the half, igniting a spark in the Williams fans who made the trip to Connecticut.
Declan Porter hit from the same depth just a minute later, and the Panthers took a timeout down 15 with 90 seconds to go in the half.
Somehow, Porter made one from even further downtown on his next try, and the Ephs took a 37-19 advantage into the locker room. Prowitt-Smith's 10 points and 6 rebounds — with 0 turnovers — led the Ephs, who shot 14-30 (47%) in the half, including 6-12 from deep. Five players scored 5 or more points for Williams. Meanwhile, Middlebury made just 9-34 (27%), and were unable to sink any three-pointers. David Brennan had 8 for the Panthers.
Middlebury began the second half with a score and a stop, but Karren and Spivy made back-to-back three-pointers for a 20-point Williams edge. The Panthers began to run a full court press with 16 minutes remaining, yet the Ephs continued to pile on points while making the Panthers work extremely hard to gain open shots.
The Ephs went up as much as 21 points on multiple occasions early in the half, and although the Panthers battled the rest of the way, they could not trim the deficit to under 15 until their fourth separate chance — with under 4 minutes to go. After a pair of Spivy free throws pushed a 15-point margin to 17, the junior knocked down a deep ball for a 66-46 Williams advantage with 7:14 left.
Middlebury mustered together an impressive 10-3 streak together late to make the score 69-56, but two Prowitt-Smith free throws and a dagger three-pointer for Karren put the icing on the cake as the Ephs advanced to the finals for the first time since 2017.
Spivy was the high scorer for Williams on the day, posting 20 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Prowitt-Smith and Karren added 17 and 11 points, respectively, as the duo pulled in 8 rebounds each. Roughley also contributed 9 points off the bench without missing a shot.
"We're like a 6-headed hydra," a humble Spivy said after leading the team in scoring. "We get offense from all directions, and tomorrow it will be someone else."
Still, he echoed the sentiments of App all year long, commenting, "defense is our identity, and our best offense actually comes from when we lock up on defense. We have the length, size, and tenacity to do it, and that's something we can rely on even when the shots aren't falling."
After briefly enjoying the win, the Ephs will turn their attention to Little Three foe Wesleyan. The teams have split their two previous meetings this year — the Ephs brought home the victory on the road in November, and the Cardinals won at Chandler a few weeks ago versus a hindered Williams squad. The anticipated rematch will take place at 12 p.m. at Wesleyan tomorrow, February 27.
"I'm super excited and proud of the guys to get that experience and moment tomorrow," App commented. "These guys have been preparing for two years to compete for a championship. We're one of two teams to get that opportunity, and we'll try to make the most of it."
"The work hasn't paid off yet — we still have one more to go — but we feel really good about where we are," Spivy continued. "It's satisfying to get to the championship, but the job's not finished."
