Williams (11-1) survived a subpar defensive effort and held on to beat Southern Vermont College (0-8) 98-86 in the first round of the Purple and Gold Invitational at Chandler Gymnasium. Dominant offensive performances by senior tri-captain forward Tucker Kain and junior center Andrew Newton helped the Ephs get past a gritty and relentless Mountaineer squad.
After Newton and Kain combined for nine of the team’s first 11 points to give the Ephs an early 11-4 lead, the Mountaineers quickly jumped back into the game on the strength of their own inside game. Led by the play of forward Tim Bonnett, who dominated the Ephs in the paint for much of the night, Southern Vermont pulled within two with just over 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
After watching Mike Schure knock down an open three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a 24-22 lead with 11 minutes to go, frustrated Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen called a timeout to regroup. The Ephs responded with a renewed intensity. Junior Casey Gibbons (13 points) hit two big outside shots to fuel a 7-1 run that helped Williams recover the lead for good. The Ephs held a 46-37 advantage at the half.
Kain and Newton continued to put up impressive numbers in the second half in working to keep the Ephs on top. Kain finished with a double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds while Newton had a game-high 29 points. Senior tri-captain Jaris Cole kept the offense running smoothly, leading the break effectively and dishing out some spectacular passes to Kain and Newton inside. In addition to handing out 10 assists, he chipped in 10 points for the double-double.
Despite putting up some impressive offensive numbers, the Ephs failed to find the defensive intensity that has characterized their style of play this year. Southern Vermont shot 55.6% from the field in the second half and was five for 10 from behind the arc.
“When we got up early, we kind of lost our zip,” said Paulsen. “I thought we played not very good defense in the first half and horrific defense in the second half. It’s really, really troublesome because that’s something we pride ourselves on and that’s something that championship teams do. This was just a very, very disappointing defensive effort even though we did some good things on offense.”
The Mountaineers played hard until the final whistle. Some big three-point shots by Schure (21 points, 4 assists) and Chris Matte (17 points, 4 assists) kept Southern Vermont within striking distance for most of the second half, while Bonnett (25 points, 8 rebounds) and Nick Harrington (14 points, 8 rebounds) presented a challenge for the Ephs inside. With six minutes to play a Schure three cut the Eph lead to 7 but Gibbons matched the shot on the next possession and the Mountaineers would never get that close again.
“I’m disappointed with my team defensively, but I think a lot of credit should be given to Southern Vermont,” said Paulsen. “I think a lesser team with lesser character would have mailed it in after getting down 17. They’ve got some talented offensive players and they are just learning how to play together. They played very well. If they play like that, they are going to win a bunch of games.”
The Ephs will now advance to the Purple and Gold Invitational Championship Game scheduled to be played tomorrow at 8:00 pm. They will face Wheaton-Ill, currently ranked 13th nationally. Williams is ranked 12th.