"This was a horrible defensive effort in the second half," Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen said. "We let the fact that we could not hit our shots impact our ability to play defense. That's just a sign of immaturity. Our total lack of passion on the defensive end was extremely disappointing."
Leading 44-28 at the break, Williams came out flat as Union went on a 17-5 run over the first five minutes of the second half. Senior center Darcy Bonner keyed the outburst for the Dutchmen by dominating the Ephs inside. He finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds on the night.
While the Dutchmen rallied, the Eph offense went cold. After shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor in the first half, Williams connected on just 9-of-32 of its second half shots (28 percent), including just 4-of-18 (22 percent) from downtown. Frustrated on the offensive end, the Ephs struggled to maintain their focus defensively.
Union broke through for its first lead since the opening minutes when senior point guard Chris Murphy drained a 3-pointer with five minutes to play, putting the Dutchmen on top 60-59. But Williams did not go down easy. With just over three minutes remaining, senior guard Casey Gibbons drove the lane, drew a foul and converted the 3-point play to pull the Ephs even at 62-62.
Thirty seconds later, Union's Brian Scordato knocked down a huge 3-pointer from the corner for a 65-62 lead. After a pair of made free throws, Williams took possession and Gibbons drilled one from behind the arc to pull the Ephs within two. But Union converted another pair of free throws and Williams could not come up with another big shot in clutch time.
Senior guard John Cagianello led the Dutchmen with 20 points and 6 rebounds, as he became the fourth player in Union history to break the 1500-point plateau. Scordato finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds and Murphy chipped in 17 points and 4 boards.
It was a disappointing end to a night that began well for Williams. In the first half, Gibbons and some strong Eph help defense contained Cagianello, who entered the game averaging 29 points per contest. Despite some defensive problems on the interior, Williams held Union to just 28 points. Things on the offensive end were also running smoothly, as a fast-paced running attack and stellar outside shooting by sophomore Chris Shalvoy and junior Brian Nelson helped the Ephs build a double-digit lead midway through the half.
Shalvoy led Williams with 21 points and 5 assists (13 and 4 in the first half), while Nelson finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Sophomore swingman Chris Rose contributed 9 points and 4 rebounds.
Williams will host Springfield on Saturday at 2 p.m.