WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Five seconds left. Ephs up one. Amherst ball. Dribble, dribble, dribble. Two Eph defenders double-team the ball handler in the corner.
Spencer Spivy blocks a last second Hail Mary attempt. Ballgame — Williams wins. Fans storm the court.
If last year's NESCAC quarterfinal win over Amherst was an "instant classic," tonight's win over the Mammoths was a "timeless masterpiece." In a game that could sum up the storied rivalry in a single game, the Williams College Ephs (16-1, 3-1 NESCAC) emerged with a 66-65 victory over the Amherst College Mammoths (6-10, 2-2 NESCAC). Down by as many as seven points in the second half, the Ephs scratched and clawed at the Amherst lead, but did not hold an edge until there were under 10 minutes to play. In front of a deafening Chandler Gym crowd, the Ephs went 11-21 from beyond the arc.
Nate Karren led the way offensively with 25 points on 5-7 shooting from deep, while
Declan Porter hit 4-7 attempts from beyond the arc. Needless to say, the Ephs defensive efforts paid off all game, with
Evan Glatzer and Spivy showing out in typical fashion on the other side of the ball.
"When you're a young basketball player, this is what you dream of," Karren said of Wednesday's game. "You want the crowd to be into it, you want to see your friends in there smiling and cheering for you — there's nothing like it. It was special."
"When alumni, fan bases, and players talk about rivalry games, that was what they're talking about," App echoed. "You're happy for players of both teams who get to have this experience. The environment, both teams making shot after shot and big plays — that is what people mean when they talk about the Williams-Amherst rivalry. Glad we survived, and it was fun to be a part of it."
While the Mammoths came away with a win over the Ephs in similar fashion at home less than two weeks ago, the Ephs were the team to clutch up in the final seconds this time around. A couple aspects of these two games stood out — 1) overall record essentially becomes irrelevant in contests between these teams and 2) going undefeated against the other across the season is a tough feat. In fact, the 2009-10 season was the last time the Ephs went undefeated against the Mammoths throughout the entire year.
Karren drilled a long ball to start the scoring for the Ephs.
Hudson Hansen, the lone first year player Eph making the start against Amherst, showed his increasing confidence as he attacked through the paint and finished. On the next possession, Karren hit Hansen with a no-look pass, before Hansen dished it back for a clean assist under the rim. The Mammoths made two early three-pointers, however, to hold an 8-7 lead four minutes into the rivalry matchup.
The Mammoths lead climbed to five as they won the inside battle in the first 10 minutes while also beginning 4-7 from three-point range. Several times, the Ephs worked their way to the rim, only to be met by Amherst defenders. The Mammoths, notably, are one of the only teams in Division III with comparable length to Williams in their lineup.
Karren's second trey of the evening closed the gap to four, but Amherst quickly responded with a midrange jumper. After a steal for the Ephs, Karren swished in a second consecutive three-pointer to bring the Chandler crowd to their feet.
The Mammoths managed to maintain their edge despite the Ephs' effort, but
Declan Porter's second three-pointer of the night cut the deficit to one point at 27-26 with 4:30 left in the first half. On the next play, Karren dribbled by his man to get an untouched bucket, as the Amherst defender was called for a "flop" technical foul.
Just a couple plays later, the Mammoths received another technical for throwing the ball recklessly after a personal foul — Karren went 4-4 from the line to even the contest at 32.
The Mammoths scored five straight points as a three-pointer took a fortunate roll off the rim and took a 39-34 lead into halftime. The Mammoths shot 16-25 (64%) in the period, as the Ephs went 11-21 (52%) from the field on 5-7 (71%) deep shooting.
The Mammoths began the second half with two buckets to extend their lead to eight, but Porter would make his third trey. Five minutes into the second, Amherst held a 46-39 lead courtesy of three offensive rebounds converted for second-chance points.
"The first time we played Amherst, I thought there were certain stretches of the game where we tried to answer too fast," App said of the team's play while trailing. "Emotionally and physically, I thought we were a little tougher tonight."
Porter buried another three-pointer, and Glatzer weaved his way to the rim to trim the Mammoths' lead to two. Karren, additionally, made his fourth trey in as many attempts to continue efficient night and cut the deficit to a single point. Porter would then hit all three free throws after being fouled to take a 50-48 lead.
"Declan is always a threat out there," App commented. "He's such a great shooter and is learning how to find shots in different ways. He had a great defender on him today, and he kept moving to find open looks. What makes him so great is that he has no problem taking those shots in big moments."
After another three by the Mammoths, Karren converted another three-pointer of his own to make it 5-5 on the evening and put Williams up 53-51 with 8:49 remaining.
"We talked with Nate about how Amherst uses their bigs to stop in the paint. Nate is such an unselfish player and loves to pass, but we needed him to take threes tonight. We told him to be ready to take 10."
"We have such a balanced attack," Karren said humbly. "Someone's going to have a great game. Today was my day, but next time it'll be someone else."
Amherst took back the lead by one, but the Ephs went to the reliable Spivy out of a timeout, as he knocked down a long range shot for a 56-54 Williams advantage with 6:40 left.
The Ephs then earned free throws on two straight offensive trips;
Alex Lee and Spivy combined to go 3-4 from the line to put the Ephs up 59-56 with 5:14 to go. After a pair of free throws from the Mammoths, App took a timeout holding a one-point edge.
Although Amherst regained the lead, Spivy hit a clutch three-pointer, shocking absolutely no one, to earn a 62-60 edge with 4:10 to play. Hansen and Glatzer stripped the ball from their respective men, which forced Amherst to toss up a prayer as the shot clock expired — it failed to hit the rim, but the Ephs were unable to capitalize on offense two possessions in a row.
Three defensive stops from the Ephs gave room for error, however, as they trusted the points would come.
"I thought in the first half, Amherst made a ton of plays and really stepped up," App said. "We wanted to control what we could; I thought we got back to playing how we wanted in the second half — holding contact on rebounds, making sure we came up with missed shots. Seventeen games in, you hope guys are confident and keep the effort up defensively."
Karren drew a foul and swished both free throws for a 64-60 lead. The Mammoths gave themselves a chance, however, as they hit a jump shot to cut the deficit to two with 1:22 to play.
Coming out of a timeout, Spivy worked his way to the inside glass for two, but the Mammoths found three points of their own to trim the lead to one with 44 seconds left.
After the Ephs missed on offense, the Mammoths signaled for a full timeout down one with 13.3 seconds to go, as they drew up a final offensive play. After the Ephs used their foul-to-give, forcing Amherst to inbound the ball with just five seconds left, Spivy made his aforementioned defensive stop to take the game.
After enjoying the win, for a few days, the Ephs are set to play Middlebury — ranked #11 in the country — at home on Saturday.
"This is a great stepping stone for us," Karren said. "It was a really tough mental and physical battle. I think this was a good game to prepare us for Saturday. We're just going to lock in and get straight back to it."
