COBLESKILL, NY.— As in many games this year, it was Williams' (12-7) stifling defense that gave them the win tonight. They kept SUNY Cobleskill (4-14) to 25% FG, and 4-27 from three, while pulling down 30 more boards as well.
At the end of the first half, the Ephs' defensive effort had already built them a comfortable margin and they led the Fighting Tigers 43-23. That isn't to say that the Ephs hadn't had a good offensive first half, though.
Both
Hudson Hansen and
Alex Lee already had 12 at the break, and the Ephs as a whole shot 59% from the floor and 36% from three. The four offensive rebounds the Ephs pulled down came up big, as 10 of their 43 in the half were second-chance points.
In the second half, it was much of the same. The Ephs kept SU?NY Cobleskill contained with their defense and widened their lead with efficient offense. In the first half, Williams grew their lead by 20, and by the final buzzer it had grown to 43.
By the end of the game, the Ephs had scored an impressive 84 points, their 2nd-highest mark on the season, topped only by the 85 points against Vermont State Castleton in November.
Four Ephs broke double digits—
Hudson Hansen (19pts, 10reb),
Alex Lee (19pts),
Brandon Roughley (12pts), and
Aidan Yates (10pts). Fighting Tigers big man Jermaine Wheeler led his squad with 10 points and 5 boards.
On top of the four high-scorers, 13 Ephs got on the board, including Dylan Shepard for his first three points— one at the line and two from a layup.
At the end of the night, the Ephs were up by 43, 84-41. A resounding victory after Saturday's tough result. Despite their strong lead, Williams didn't falter on either end or relax before the game was over.
"I was really proud of how we competed and played," said Eph head coach
Kevin App on the team's fight. "Watching the Middlebury film we felt we had some great stretches, and had some stretches where we got away from our habits. We really encouraged them to take a step forward in that area of just 40 minutes of not perfect, but simple execution and good habits on both ends. I was proud that they did that today. The energy was great, the spirit was great, and so was the play."
Coach App thinks this decisive victory can be a confidence builder for his squad, but doesn't like to get distracted by day-to-day results: "You do your best not to get too tied up in results, and try to take a bigger picture as a coach of where we were and where we are. Even though we've dropped a couple of games, I think we've gotten better each week and some of the things that got in our way the first home NESCAC weekend, I think we've addressed and the guys have seen that impact."
"Same thing last week," he continued, "Amherst and Middlebury games— both close games, one went our way, one didn't, but tonight we saw the things as coaches we asked them to focus on and improve. The next challenge is to keep taking those steps forward these next five games."
In those next five, App echoed
Hudson Hansen's words after last Saturday's game, saying that taking the season one game at a time is "all you can do. I think hopefully that's what our veterans have learned."
"At the end of every season, you look at those times where you've faced some adversity, and a lot of it was because you were worried about things outside of your control," App noted. "Whether it's results from the past, or what future results could mean, or personal playing time, or personal stats, you have to get to a point where you lock in, enjoy, and do your best. That's what I told the guys tonight, regardless of opponent or score, I thought today was one of the best games we played all season and that's whatwe need to keep understanding— keep taking those steps and whatever happens, happens."
The Ephs play Bates (10-8, 1-3 NESCAC) this Friday, at home in Chandler Gym. The game will tip off at 7pm.
