Oswego, NY.— Coming into this game, it was expected that we would see a battle between Williams' stingy defense and DeSales' punishing offense. The first half was true to expectations, but in the second half, the Ephs suddenly pulled away from the Bulldogs, draining three after three to extend the lead to as many as 39 points.
At the half, Williams (22-6) led by 9 points, 30-21. Their defense had kept DeSales (24-3) to a remarkable 27% field goal percentage and just 3-13 from three, while forcing 11 turnovers. Throughout the half, despite playing a physical style of basketball, the Bulldogs seemed a bit off-balance.
The assertiveness of the Eph defense was especially noticeable in the turnovers. The Bulldogs' rushed passes and travels gave the Ephs plenty of opportunities to score. In the second half , Williams seemed to be keenly aware of this hesitancy, and took the opportunity to push ahead.
Alex Lee started things out with a straightaway three. The Ephs stifled the Bulldogs on the other end, and
Cole Prowitt-Smith drove baseline, passing through to
Noah Dinkins for another three. Again, the Ephs stonewalled the Bulldogs on the defensive end. Prowitt-Smith pulled down an offensive board and sent it around the perimeter for an
Alex Lee triple.
DeSales took a 30 second timeout to try to stem the tide, but Williams came out just as hot.
Brandon Roughley assisted Prowitt-Smith for another three, and suddenly it felt like the Ephs couldn't miss. The players felt it too.
This time, Prowitt-Smith stepped into his shot off the dribble, and it was still nothing but net.
Brandon Arnold scored with a post move, and
Alex Stoddard capped off the scorching run with a fast-break triple.
By the time the Bulldogs scored their first bucket of the half, the gap had grown from 9 to 29 points. DeSales had finally found their offensive energy, but Williams' defense remained unfaltering.
The Ephs went on a 16-4 run in the next four minutes. By the time the Bulldogs made their first three-pointer in over twenty minutes, they just didn't have enough time to catch up. They had 36 point defecit to overcome in eight minutes, and despite making their best effort, couldn't finish things off. Williams came out of the game with a decisive victory, topping the Bulldogs 77-51.
The Ephs were able to keep the Bulldogs to just 30% shooting, including 8-30 from behind the arc. They also forced 14 turnovers throughout the game and pulled down 3 more rebounds than the Bulldogs.
Eph head coach
Kevin App identified a couple of factors that played into today's incredible defensive showing: "They're a really good offensive team with some veterans, so it's a combination of trying to take away their strengths based on what certain players do, and then just playing with connection and effort."
"Our guys have really done a good job of building that collective confidence," App added, "so it's partly personnel based, but partly, 'here are their actions, and here's how they get their shots. We have to be disciplined in these scenarios and the guys executed at a high level. That's how you hope to be at this time of year, not overthinking that end of the floor but playing with a high level of intensity."
The game started out more competitively, with the teams trading buckets for the most part. DeSales got the tip and despite Williams taking the possession to the end of the clock, the Bulldogs' Will Bowen was able to get a long midrange off before the buzzer.
Alex Lee scored the Ephs' first points on the other end with a three.
DeSales' Caleb Gibbs scored a layup on the break.
Cole Prowitt-Smith came off a
Brandon Roughley screen for a short jumper. The Bulldogs made the first three, and
Sammy Cooley dished to
Alex Stoddard to tie the game up at 7 apiece.
Williams pushed ahead, showing strength in the paint, then letting it fly from long-range. Things slowed down, and the Ephs' nerves seemed to show on the scoreboard as Williams' fouls started to rack up.
A layup for
Nate Karren, with which he passed the 1000 point threshold, seemed to get the squad back on the right track. The Ephs finished the half out strong— an incredible pullup three for
Alex Stoddard and a strong finish through contact for
Brandon Roughley brought the Ephs to their 30 point lead at the half.
One point that the Ephs struggled with in the first half was rebounding. Coach App said that it was a point of emphasis during the halftime discussion. "We obviously defended really well, like we've been doing, but we gave them too many second opportunities. Sometimes we got lucky, and sometimes they scored," he said. "I think in the first half it felt like guys were a little anxious and fatigued because it's the NCAA tournament, but once we settled into the game, I thought we executed on both ends."
From here on out, the Ephs will face teams that they might not have as much experience against. Coach App described a different process of preparing for these NCAA matchups, in the context of today's game.
"It's exciting," he said. "One, you're excited because they don't know you as well, but there is a little feeling-out process and I thought they came out really physical, were really trying to protect the paint, and slowed us down. We weren't moving great. It took us a while to find some rhythm. Luckily, we made some shots and got the ball inside enough in the first half. But then, the guys came out, really played with some space and rhythm, and when we did that, guys were shooting them with confidence."
The Ephs will play again tomorrow at 6pm, against host Oswego State, which downed Babson 74-63.
