WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College men's basketball team (9-8) Wednesday defeated Amherst (11-6) by a score of 62-60 to sweep their Little Three rival for the first time since 2010.

 

The Ephs overcame a 14-point first half deficit, as the Chandler Gym crowded reached its highest energy level of the season.

 

“The fun part about playing a rival is getting a good atmosphere … it’s always great to have our fans down the stretch,” Williams head coach Kevin App said. “Coming and playing in this environment is one of the things we talk about during recruitment. To come out on top in two last second endings [against Amherst] was awesome.”

 

Amherst pulled out to 12-2 lead behind nine combined points from Grant Robinson and Michael Schretter. Jovan Jones found a hole in the Mammoths’ tight defense to get the Ephs on the board 3:40 into the contest, but that would be their lone field goal until 14:26 left in the half, when Jones sunk a trey from the corner. 

 

Amherst continued to roll early, and Garrett Day scored eight consecutive points to put the Mammoths up 23-9 with 12:05 to play in the half. 

 

Brandon Arnold got down low and used his size to find the glass on consecutive possessions for the Ephs. A subsequent Alex Stoddard tip-in saw the Ephs down eight. The Mammoths regained an 11-point lead, but Nate Karren nailed a corner three-pointer to make the score 28-20 with 6:15 to go in the first.

 

The defense on both sides stepped up over the closing minutes of the half, and the difference remained eight as Williams headed down the court for the final possession. After some fancy dribbling to get in the paint, Prowitt-Smith dished the rock to Karpowicz, who finished the lay-in just before the buzzer sounded. The teams would then head into the break with Amherst holding a 34-28 lead — their smallest lead in 16 minutes. 

 

Fifteen different players scored in the half — Day was Amherst’s top scorer with eight, while Arnold’s six led Williams. Amherst earned an edge in the half from downtown: the Mammoths were 6-13, as the Ephs shot 2-11.

 

The Ephs travel to Middlebury to face the Panthers on Saturday.

 

Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. -- Hannah Fox scored 15 points to lead Amherst to a 63-40 win over Williams.

 

Morgan Dauk came off the bench to score 10 to lead Williams.

 

The Ephs (13-5, 2-2 NESCAC) host Middlebury on Saturday.