Williams Men's Basketball Lose to Hamilton, 60-56
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The Ephs had the ball with 22 seconds left and a chance to take the lead down 57-56 when a surprising illegal screen was called off the ball, giving Hamilton the ball and allowing them to eventually seal the win.
The Ephs led 36-29 at the half after shooting a solid 50 percent from the field including five three-pointers, but the Continentals would clamp down defensively in the second half in holding Williams to just 20 points en route to their fifth league win of the season.
"It was a hard-fought game," said Eph coach Dave Paulsen, "Hamilton played very, very well defensively – especially in the second half."
The Continentals have been on a tear, having now won seven of their last eight contests. Junior forward and team-leading scorer Harlee Wood led the way for Hamilton with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Wood would also score the final point of the game, hitting a free throw with 2.5 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game at 60-56.
In the lead for Williams was a familiar face in senior point guard and captain Chris Shalvoy, who notched 14 points and 7 assists on 5 of 10 shooting. Unfortunately for Williams only fellow guard Kevin Snyder ’09 was able to join him in double-digits as the Ephs struggled to score inside.
The Continentals would only manage to put two scorers into double-digits as well, but Kyle Dumas’s ninth and tenth points would be big ones. The junior guard hit both his free throws after the illegal screen call on Williams to put Hamilton up by three at 59-56.
If there was a bright spot for the Ephs – who lost consecutive games for the first time this season – it was junior swingman Grant Meyer. Meyer came off the bench to score 8 points on an efficient 4 of 5 from the field in only 18 minutes of play.
"Obviously this was a tough one to drop," said Paulsen, "but we're just going to have to move forward from here and prepare for a very good Middlebury team."
Williams play host to the Panthers this Saturday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
