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Williams to a 72-67 victory over the visiting Colby MuleWilliams Sports Info
09:38AM / Monday, February 09, 2009
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - In a back and forth game that saw six ties and as many lead changes, the combination of hot shooting and clutch defense down the stretch propelled Williams to a 72-67 victory over the visiting Colby Mules. Despite playing without junior center Joe Geoghegan and being out rebounded on the offensive end of the court 16-4, the Ephs were able to pull out a hard fought victory on the shoulders of Harlan Dodson and Blake Schultz, who finished with 17 and 15 points respectively.
Trailing 27-23 at halftime after shooting just 7-21 from the floor, the Ephs caught fire in the second half, hitting 65 percent of their shots, including 10-14 from 3-point range. “I thought we were playing to not lose instead of to win during the first half,” said Williams head coach Mike Maker. “But we got great leadership from our seniors the rest of the way and shot the ball extremely well. Anytime you do that you’re going to have a great chance to win at home.”
Dodson and Shultz certainly did their part to keep the Ephs from falling in what could prove to be a crucial game in determining the race for the NESCAC title. After scoring just two points in the first half of play, Dodson hit 3 of 5 shots from behind the arc in the second period, and was 4-4 from the free throw line. The sophomore swingman drew high praise from Maker, who pointed out that he was instrumental in keeping the Ephs in the game. “We were really struggling and when he got it going it gave us some more energy and we started playing better defense,” Maker remarked.
Schultz also got off to a slow start, shooting just 2-7 in the first half, but turned it around with 10 points after the break. The junior also drew a key charge with just 30.6 seconds remaining in the ballgame, after the Mules had closed to within 66-64. The Ephs’ leading scorer then calmly sunk two free throws to extend the lead to 68-64 and seemed to have put the game out of reach. “That play was huge,” Maker said after the game. “Everyone talks about Blake’s offense but he’s a great defensive player as well.”
The contest was still in doubt, however, after Colby junior Gil Haylon buried a 3-pointer right in front of the Williams cheering section, cutting the deficit to 68-67. After Dodson made two free throws to make it 70-67, the Mules still had one last chance to tie the game with 9.4 seconds remaining. But senior captain Artie Cutrone could not convert on an open look from the corner and Williams senior Michael Kearney came away with the rebound, effectively sealing the outcome.
The Ephs had to be satisfied with the result as they were able to come out on top despite giving up a significant height advantage inside. Coach Maker was also pleased that even though the Mules were able to force the Ephs to work overtime on the defensive end by snatching offensive rebounds and routinely running the shot clock to below ten seconds, his team managed to pull out a victory. “Both teams expended a lot of energy here tonight,” the Williams coach noted. “Because of the importance of this game each side put in a great amount of effort.” The Ephs now improve to 15-6 overall and 5-1 in NESCAC play. |
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