Williamstown, MASS.— After completing a 21-10 run to finish the first half, Hamilton (11-14, NESCAC #8) led by 1 over Williams (20-5, NESCAC #1). The Continentals, last year's NESCAC champs, had been effective from multiple points on the floor to go into the break leading 34-33.
Hank Morgan challenged the Ephs in the paint, including an and-one layup that he netted after pulling down his own board. Teja Singh was effective in the mid range and further, draining several shots around the free throw line and a three. Hamilton's sharpshooter Garret Keyhani added on a triple, and Nate Raub finished one in the lane.
The Ephs regrouped at the break, and came out with renewed focus, especially on the defensive end.
Alex Lee took back the lead, dribbling into a mid range jumper.
Nate Karren pushed the ball up the floor, and
Cole Prowitt-Smith finished with a layup.
Hank Morgan responded, shaking his defender for an easy reverse. However, it seemed as if the Ephs had gotten over their nerves. They scored seven points to widen the lead to six before the Continentals scored.
Still, Morgan did his best to keep Hamilton in the game, connecting on a three. After a layup b the Ephs
Brandon Roughley, Singh did his part as well, driving to the cup on an isolation play.
The game was a physical one as reflected in foul calls for both teams. This didn't faze the Ephs, and they were characteristically effective from the free throw line, shooting 73% this afternoon.
After Singh's bucket
Brandon Roughley caught one on the arm, starting off Williams' string of foul shots. He made two,
Nate Karren had two, and
Alex Lee had two. By this point the Eph lead was a safe 11 points.
A layup for Morgan gave the Continentals hope, but on the other end,
Noah Dinkins had a "big time tip in," that told Eph head coach
Kevin App "we're not even going to give them a final run."
Sure enough, the Ephs went on an 11-2 run after Dinkins tip in, leading them to an authoritative 67-47 win.
Defense was a strong point for the Ephs today. The Continentals were held to just 13points in the second half, which App attributed to the Ephs' depth. "Their three leading scorers are really talented and can really score," App acknowledged, before saying, "We knew that if we threw a bunch of different guys at them, used our depth, we might be able to wear them out. I think that showed in the second half. They had to play probably more minutes than they wanted to in the first half to stay in it. We were able to throw a lot of different guys with size at them.
Noah Dinkins,
Hudson Hansen. I thought
Dan Lee showed you how good he is defensively today as well."
Of course, offense was important as well.
Brandon Roughley led Williams with 19 points and the Ephs' best shooting percentage, making 67% of his shots today.
Cole Prowitt-Smith had a double-double, also with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Prowitt-Smith talked after the game about playing with maturity: "Yeah, I feel like I was patient. Coach has always been on me since my freshman year to be more balanced, and my teammates, too. I think we all take pride this year in leading each other, and I know that if I'm a little out of control, or playing off balance, my teammates will be in my ear about that. They hold me accountable and I do the same for them."
He also touched on points of emphasis going into the postseason, saying: "I think for us it's being patient and trusting our stuff and again, understanding our roles. At this point, I don't need to be taking hard shots. I should just either stay on balance and make the shot or kick out because we have so many good guys around us."
The Ephs faced more challenges in the first, as the Continentals started the game with a 7-0 lead and finished the half up one. A lot of this challenge had to do with the physicality with which Hamilton plays.
The two teams' last meeting was decided by just one point, and the Continentals had stayed strong in that one by asserting themselves down low. This time, the Ephs seemed more prepared for that physicality, and
Brandon Roughley especially so. With this afternoon's 19 points he tied his season-high.
"I play well off of physicality," said Roughley on the offensive challenge. "I'm able to make my moves off of getting bumped, and then spinning off guys. I'm just happy that my teammates trust me and give me the ball down where I'm best, and happy I could make them today and put us in a position to win."
The Ephs' next challenger in the NESCAC tournament will be Amherst, who upset Connecticut College in their quarterfinal game. It'll be the rivals' third match up this year, with the record currently standing at 1-1 on the season. The teams will play 2 PM next Saturday, at home in Chandler Gym.
More information about the NESCAC tournament, which the Ephs will host in Williamstown, can be found at:
https://nescac.com/tournaments/?id=502&path=mbbchamp
