West Massachusetts News

Ephs Drop First Game of Season in 2-Point Loss to Amherst

 The Williams College Ephs (12-1, 0-1 NESCAC) fell to the Amherst Mammoths (5-7, 1-0 NESCAC) by a score of 53-51 on Friday evening in their first loss of the season. Neither team found rhythm on offense — both squads shot under 33% from deep — as they battled down to the wire defensively. Although the Ephs went up 51-48 with 2:20 left, they did not score again, while the Mammoths made a basket with 6.9 seconds to ultimately come away with a win. The Ephs get a chance to bounce back tomorrow in another NESCAC matchup against Hamilton.
 
"I've been coaching enough to know that you can't let Friday affect Saturday — win or lose," Eph head coach Kevin App said as the team looks to rebound after the loss. "We'll get home, get some rest, prepare for Hamilton, and get back to playing like we can."
 
Tonight was a brutal reminder of the physicality and tension that exist in the storied rivalry between Williams and Amherst. Regardless of records, the games tend to be a tough fight and the LeFrak atmosphere can bring out moments of pressure unseen elsewhere.
 
"The timing, the ball movement, and the simplicity that we like to play with wasn't there tonight," App continued. "I thought we were rushing. It was the first time where we felt like the first 20 minutes were do-or-die instead of just getting a feel for the game. I was proud of how we fought, but we weren't quite physically or mentally tough enough to pull it out."
 
With the addition of Hudson Hansen into the starting lineup, the Williams had representation from all four classes to start the game. The Ephs were held scoreless for the first four minutes of game action, however, as the cheering from the LeFrak crowd penetrated around the arena with its traditional wooden structure. The Mammoths took advantage of a low-scoring first ten minutes to take a 15-10 lead at the midway point of the first.
 
Declan Porter hit an icy trey to tie up the game at 15 with 7:42 left in the first half. A strip from Brandon Arnold was one of many key defensive plays from the junior in the period that prevented the Amherst lead from increasing. Another deep ball from Porter — his eighth consecutive Williams point — knotted the score at 20, and a subsequent pair of free throws from Spencer Spivy gave the Ephs their first lead of the game at 22-20.
 
Several critical blocks from both teams kept the game level, and at halftime the score was 27 each. Williams shot 9-25 (36%) in the period to the Mammoths' 9-33 (27%). No individual player had over eight at the break. 
 
Nate Karren hit from the top the arc to open the second half, and Cole Prowitt-Smith completed an and-one to maintain the momentum. On the next defensive trip, Karren palmed the ball on a clean block that highlighted his two-way skill. Amherst would not let the deficit climb above one possession, however, and took back the lead at 39-38 with 13:30 remaining. 
 
Two three-pointers from Porter kept the Ephs ahead by one, but the Mammoths hit a triple of their own to go up 46-44 with 10:08 left. A couple defensive stops from the Ephs kept them afloat as they went over seven minutes of game clock without a field goal. Spivy hit both ends of a one-and-one to put Williams up 47-46 with 6:29 left, and it seemed the teams were headed for a vintage finish. 
 
With the Mammoths up by one and four minutes left, the Ephs committed a sloppy turnover to give Amherst the ball back and put themselves in their most vulnerable possession all season. They forced a difficult shot to get the ball back, and Glatzer broke the drought with a sneaky layup to take the lead. After another stop, Prowitt-Smith made two free throw attempts to give Williams a 51-48 cushion with 2:20 to play. 
 
Amherst came back to within one, and twice the Ephs had a possession to grow their edge to three or four. They failed to convert, however, and Amherst secured possession with the shot clock turned off. Karren swatted a layup attempt into the crowd, but the Mammoths retained the ball and called timeout with 22 seconds to go. They worked it into the paint and made a basket while drawing a foul with 6.9 seconds left. 
 
An initial attempt from Prowitt-Smith to tie the game was blocked but knocked out by Amherst, although the Ephs were given only 0.4 seconds for a last second-attempt. The tip-in was off the mark, as the Mammoths celebrated in high fashion.
 
The Ephs are back in action at Hamilton tomorrow at 3 p.m.
 
"It's our next opportunity to play basketball. The first thing you want to do when you lose is play again. We're lucky that we get to do it tomorrow afternoon, so we'll get on the bus and try to figure out a way to beat Hamilton tomorrow." 

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