Oneonta, NY.— Cutting down the lane,
Noah Dinkins caught a pass from
Hudson Hansen, rising up to finish a layup. The score was still tight, 61-57, with just over six minutes to play. Williams (2-0) got a stop, and first-year guard
Justin Belcher cut into the lane, scoring two after his shot was goaltended.
Belcher scored the next points as well, using a change-of-pace to get past his defender for the layup. SUNY Oneonta (3-1) just couldn't get anything going, and the Ephs were able to shore up their lead. Following a strong defensive play that ended with a held ball, Belcher dumped off to
Brandon Roughley for two more. At 67-57, Williams had their largest lead of the game.
However, the Red Dragons still had a lot of fight in them, and coming off a three game winning streak to start off their season, they weren't going to go down so easily. Elijah Castillo started off their counterattack, sinking a jumper for two points.
The Ephs tried a three early in the shot clock, and after Oneonta center Xavier Hill brought down the board, it was Castillo again, cutting to the cup for two more. The Red Dragons' next points came from the free throw line, as Delano Knox made both of his shots to shrink the gap to 67-63.
It was a familiar, yet frustrating feeling for the Ephs— Oneonta had already scored 15 points at the stripe. On the other end,
Hudson Hansen, the Ephs' leading scorer tonight (23 pts), slowed the Red Dragons' momentum by banking in a layup.
Oneonta made one more move, beginning with a gutsy pullup three for Zyeir Lawrence. On the next scoring play, Xavier Hill drove on the right, using his size to keep his defender on his hip. Hill's bucket brought the score to 69-68.
Showing their maturity, the Ephs regrouped. After a timeout,
Alex Lee got the ball on the inbound, and rose up, sinking the three. The Red Dragons scrambled, trying for a layup, but Williams' defense held.
Oneonta was forced to foul, and
Sammy Cooley went to the line to sealed the deal for the Ephs, burying both free throws. Oneonta only scored one more point, and the game ended 74-69, Williams.
"I'm pretty excited about what the group showed tonight," said Eph head coach
Kevin App following the game. "Coming out of two road games with a lot of new faces, a new identity as a group, and finding ways to win— that's what the season is all about."
He commended the team's versatility, saying, "
Justin Belcher showed the impact he can make— to have his first experience on the road against some upperclassmen guards, and to do what he does and play to his strengths, I'm really proud of him.
Aidan Yates continued to shoot and make plays, and then our veterans closed it out with some defensive stops, big free throws, and obviously a huge shot by
Alex Lee."
First year contributions came from Belcher and Yates who combined for 17 points, with Yates shooting 3-5 from three. "It's good to see them take that experience from game one and be better in game two," App said of the first years. "It's the growth we have to keep showing."
Tonight's contest opened with the Red Dragons showcasing their physical style of play. Their leading scorer, Xavier Hill (28.5 ppg), bodied his way into the paint, turning and finishing a layup. After a defensive stop, Zyeir Lawrence dropped his right leg and spun sharply, making space for an easy layup.
Coach App said Oneonta's physicality is "one of the reasons that we like playing this game every year… We knew we had to stop their drives and limit them to one shot, but that's easier said than done."
Over a quarter of Oneonta's 69 points came from the free throw line, and App suggested that's pretty much to be expected: "They were averaging over 30 free throws a game coming into tonight," he said, adding, "they put a lot of pressure on the the referees to not call [fouls] but it's one of our philosophies to defend without fouling. It takes experience and maturity to trust your positioning, trust your feet, and trust your teammates on the defensive end."
Still, Williams was able to take both halves, rounding out the first half 34-27, and finishing the game with a five-point lead. This was despite a balanced attack from Oneonta, with four Red Dragons scoring in double-digits.
Moving forward, the Ephs will play their first home games this weekend in the Purple and Gold Classic. They'll take on Vermont State University Castleton on Saturday, at 3pm in Chandler Gym, and Keene State on Sunday, again in Chandler at 3pm.
