New Paltz, NY.— SUNY New Paltz (4-1) kept Williams (6-1) honest in the first half, playing a physical style of defense that forced the Ephs to move the ball to score. By the end of the half, the Ephs had 10 turnovers to the Hawks' 5. Still, the Ephs were able to adjust and were up three at the buzzer, 35-32.
The very first basket was indicative of the way the Hawks wanted to play. Despite the Ephs getting the tip, A.J. Knight stole the ball almost immediately, sending it to Isaiah Rivera for a layup.
On the next play, the Ephs stayed poised, as
Hudson Hansen skipped the ball to
Sammy Cooley for three. Dakoda Smith drove and was fouled for an old-fashioned three point play, while A.J. Knight laced a three to put the Hawks up 8-3.
Alex Lee put in a triple of his own from the corner, and New Paltz matched with another three to preserve the lead.
Hudson Hansen, who finished with 8 points, 9 boards, and 5 assists, got two of those assists on the Ephs' next two scoring plays, dishing the ball to
Alex Lee and
Brandon Roughley for layups.
Now the teams were just about tied up, with the Hawks holding a slight 11-10 lead. In the next five minutes, they pushed ahead, going on a 13-6 run. Alex Krupinski dropped in two threes, and Lucas Seyoum had one as well.
It was clear that New Paltz wanted to shoot, but after this short run they had a harder time doing so. They would make only two of their next eighteen attempts for three as Williams tightened up on the defensive end.
"Defense gave us a chance as we were figuring out the offense," said Eph head coach
Kevin App after the game. "I really thought the first segment of the game, they came at us, and we were on our heels defensively, but we picked up the aggression, started picking up the ball higher like we talked about, and really played connected— it was fun to watch. Defensively, we got better throughout the game, and hopefully learned some things that'll make us better."
Down eight points with ten minutes remaining, it was that exact same defense that allowed Williams to close the gap and take the lead from New Paltz. The scoring was slow going, with a three or layup coming along every once in a while, but the main thing was that the Hawks' scoring had all but dried up.
In the latter part of the half, New Paltz was only able to put up eight points, with nothing from three. Williams, on the other hand, scored nineteen points split among six Ephs. They had quickly adjusted to the Hawks deflection-heavy game plan, and capitalized on its weaknesses, making the pass to the open man as New Paltz gambled for steals.
As noted earlier, the half ended 35-32, with the lead now in Williams' favor. The Hawks seemed different after the half, playing more methodically, still with strong physical presence. Wing Isaiah Rivera was the bright point for New Paltz, going strong to the basket and scoring three times in the first seven minutes of the second. He was the leading rebounder for the Hawks, finishing with a 10 and 10 double-double.
Still, the Ephs stayed even with the Hawks to start out the second half, finding open cutting and driving lanes to score. Though New Paltz got as close as three, with the last of Rivera's layups, Williams soon pulled away, settling into a comfortable rhythm on both ends of the floor.
By the end of the game, the Ephs had significantly widened the gap, winning 74-59. Today's leading-scorer mantle was shared by four Ephs, each with twelve points:
Alex Lee,
Brandon Roughley,
Sammy Cooley, and
Jackson Rein.
Recognizing contributions from guys throughout the roster, coach
Kevin App noted, "The last two games have been a real testament to our depth. I think the guys are starting to kind of rally around that. It'll be a big force."
App also gave props to the Ephs' opponent tonight, who were 4-0 before the game. "We knew SUNY New Paltz won their league, against really talented teams. They have a lot of veterans, and are really well coached. So we knew what they were going to try to do. Even when you face it, it takes a little while [to adjust] and I thought we were on our heels a little bit for the first segment of the game, but fortunately the guys responded."
"What I think the guys learned was that sometimes you have to use their aggression against them," App added. "It sped us up early, but we slowed down in the second half, set our cuts up, and used the aggression against them."
The Ephs will play next against Wesleyan in a Little Three game, at home on Saturday. The game will take place in Chandler Gym at 6pm.
