The Ephs sputtered out of the gate, leading just 13-11 with 12 minutes to go in the first half before Kuntz stepped up to provide a presence inside. The big man fueled a 15-2 run over the next five minutes and the Ephs never looked back. Williams took a comfortable 47-22 advantage into halftime and led by as many as 41 in the second half.
"We did a better job later in the first half," Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen said. "We went a little bit bigger and that seemed work better for us. Obviously Will [Kuntz] coming off the bench was huge. That was good for us and good for him."
Sophomore Chris Rose and senior center Andrew Newton also chipped in solid efforts in the victory. Rose scored 15 points and pulled down 8 boards (4 on the offensive end), while Newton established himself inside with 12 points and 5 rebounds (3 offensive). Their efforts helped keep the Trailblazers off the glass, as the Ephs won the battle on the boards, 52-30.
Though things on the offensive end weren't all that pretty for the Ephs, who shot just under 40 percent from the floor on the night, a gritty defensive performance kept them well in control of the contest. The Trailblazers turned the ball over 18 times and connected on just 12 of their 48 shots from the field (25 percent).
"I like how we turned the heat up defensively in the first half," Paulsen said. "We were a little bit flat in the first half early, but then we really started to play some good basketball. Obviously we have a long way to go defensively in terms of developing recognition, but we made some steps late in the first half."
JP Quintall (15 points) and Thad Broughton (14 points) led MCLA, who will take on RIT (1-1) in the 1 p.m. consolation match tomorrow.
Williams will face WPI (6-0) in the tournament finale at 3 p.m. WPI enters the contest undefeated and ranked No. 10 in the country. The Engineers return nearly their entire roster from last year's Elite Eight team.
"We know it's going to be a challenge," Paulsen said. "But we are excited for it. It will be a good barometer for where we are as a team right now."