Williamstown, MASS.— A challenge that all basketball teams have to overcome on their path to victory is the zone defense. The zone pestered the Ephs all day— they had a lot of difficulty generating offense throughout the game, ending regulation with the lowest point total so far this season (54). However, exemplary play down the stretch allowed Williams to close a nine-point deficit and force overtime, and strong Eph defense led to the win against St. Lawrence, 66-58.
The Saints began the game by demonstrating the effectiveness of their zone, forcing a turnover on the very first play. They started off scoring with a pullup jumper, and the Ephs'
Alex Lee countered with a three. Aside from their tough defense, St. Lawrence also consistently got into the lane throughout the game— they went back up 5-3 by scoring an and-one layup.
After buckets from
Nate Karren and
Brandon Roughley, Williams offense ground to a halt, and the Ephs were kept scoreless for the next six minutes. At this point, the Saints held a three point lead, and the Ephs started pushing to take it back.
Getting the ball inside seemed to be the key to effective offense here. While Karren and Roughley were able to score in the paint, the team also used inside-out passes to get Lee and
Ben McGraw open for three.
St. Lawrence pushed the pace, taking the lead back with easy looks in the paint and a last second three. The Ephs needed an offensive kick, and as has been the trend these last few games,
Alex Lee stepped up with back-to-back shots from beyond the arc.
"One of the team identities that we've been trying to embrace this year is that we want high pressure situations, we want to play in big games, we want to be in games where all the eyes are on us," said Lee after the game. "We feel like in those moments, we're going to calm down, relax, and do what we do more so than the other team." So far he's been taking this identity to heart. Lee led the Ephs in scoring for the third game in a row with 19 points.
Roughley scored once more before the end of the first, but the Saints kept at it and tied the game up going into the second half. Coming out of the break, the Ephs still seemed a bit sluggish, and St. Lawrence put up five quick points with a fast break layup and corner three.
Williams kept neck and neck with St. Lawrence, but the fouls had racked up against the Ephs and free throw shots suddenly brought the Saints' lead to nine. Facing such a large deficit with just six minutes left in regulation, the team identity mentioned earlier by Lee came into play. Going on a 13-4 run to finish out the half, the team showed a new level of defensive tenacity which Eph head coach
Kevin App called "the best defense I've seen our group play, maybe ever."
Besides the defense, it was a pair of clutch shots from
Ben McGraw that let the Ephs bring it to overtime. Ball movement got the rock into McGraw's hands, and he fired without hesitation both times, bringing the score to 51-53, and then tying the game up at 54 apiece.
"My teammates were just putting me in the right position— Cole, Ev, Nate," commented McGraw on his spectacular shooting. "They generated so much attention from the other team that it just makes my job easy. They're such great players and they can dish it out. I was just in the right place and hit some shots."
Coach App discussed the sophomore's effortless shooting in the face of tough defense. "Well, his teammates would tell you that's what he does to them in practice. They're happy for him and look for him and know what to expect. He hit the one, we subbed him out I said 'Hey do you have one more for me?' He hit the next one and I said 'Hey do you have one more for me?' he kept saying yes— he's a nice kid!" added App with a smile.
While St. Lawrence went up again in overtime, a final clutch three from McGraw marked the last lead change of the game.
Brandon Arnold exemplified the Ephs' unbreakable defense down the stretch— he pulled down an offensive board and blocked a layup, after which the Saints would not score outside of the free throw line. Williams' advantage went up even further as the Saints were forced to foul, and the game ended 66-58.
"I feel great," said Coach App after the big win. "I told [the team] the schedule isn't really what I would've hoped for— five games in eight days. We thought we'd have a few more veteran bodies to weather the storm, but we got through it. I knew it was going to be really tough and a gutty effort against some high-level teams and coaches. Super proud. We can breathe tomorrow but then we have to take care of business with our cross-town rival MCLA."
The Ephs will play again in Chandler Gym this Tuesday vs. MCLA, at 7pm.
