Against Middlebury, that run came late in the second half.
On Saturday, in the NESCAC Semifinals against a Bates team that they had only topped by three points in the regular season, the run came much earlier.
Trailing 31-25 with seven minutes and 46 seconds remaining in the first half, the Ephs went into halftime on the heels of a 23-7 run that wiped away a six point deficit and sent the Bobcats into their lockerroom trailing 48-38.
“When we got down by six, coach pulled us over and said, it’s time to get them going,” senior tri-captain Michael Crotty said. “We got the ball going and we were off and running. It didn’t hurt that Chuck [Abba] got a hot hand, but the big guys really sparked the break with their rebounds and passing.”
Things didn’t get much better for Bates in the second half as the Ephs upped their lead to 23 with a 17-6 run after the break.
In total, it was a 40-13 Eph run over twelve minutes of action that ultimately led to a 94-86 win over a very good Bates squad. The win upped the Ephs mark to 25-1 and secured a date with rival Amherst in the NESCAC Championship Sunday afternoon.
“That was a great run for them,” Bates head coach Joe Reilly said. “We know they score in bunches, but we weren’t able to slow them down – that’s why they’re the defending national champions. They outexecuted us on both ends of the floor.”
What was more backbreaking for the Bobcats was that the entire run came after they had erased an early seven point deficit with a 13-0 run of their own. Ramon Garcia led the way for Bates with a game-high 23 points that included six three-point balls.
The key for the Ephs was senior Chuck Abba catching fire from three-point range and Crotty finding him in transition. Trailing by one, on three successive possessions, Crotty found Abba on the wing or up top for nine straight points.
“When Chucky gets going, I’m going to find him,” Crotty said.
Abba would finish the half with 15 points and the game with a team-high 19 points despite playing only sparingly in the second half.
Williams head coach Dave Paulsen credited the run over the last eight minutes of the first half to an increase in the intensity with which his team played defense.
“We did a good job defensively for the last eight minutes of the half,” he said. “We just defended and rebounded much better.
Paulsen also praised the play of his senior court general.
“The thing to me that I really liked is 12 assists and zero turnovers from our point guard,” he said.
Crotty added 14 points to his NESCAC Tournament record 12 assist performance to notch a double-double.
Other noteworthy performances were turned in by juniors Tucker Kain and Jaris Cole. Kain scored 16 points in 18 minutes of play while Cole added 10.
Despite suffering from the demoralizing run, the Bobcats turned in a gritty performance. After trailing by 23, the Bobcats slowly whittled away at the lead by continuing to hustle after every loose ball and rebound.
Bates too had four players in double figures, paced by Garcia’s 23. Brian Gerrity added 19 and Elliot Linsley and Jon Furbush contributed 14 and 13 points respectively.
Bates finished the season with an 18-8 record.
Saturday’s other semifinal saw Amherst pull away in the second half to top Trinity 87-78 behind 27 points from junior reserve Russell Lee.
Victories by the Lord Jeffs and Ephs set up a third meeting of the squads in Sunday’s Championship game. The teams have split their two previous meetings earlier this season with each team winning on its home court.
However the host squad has failed to capture the NESCAC Championship the last three years.
The tip is set for 12 noon and as approximately 350 tickets remain for the contest, they will be on sale at 10am in the Chandler Gym lobby.