Unable to stop an effective inside out Lord Jeff offensive attack, Williams (11-3) fell to rival Amherst (10-1) 88-78 in Chandler Gymnasium. The Ephs, who never led, scrapped together a late run but could not get closer than five.
Trailing 76-64 with just under two minutes to play, Williams was forced to put on a full court press and send the Jeffs to the line. Senior tri-captain Jaris Cole made a steal and finished a coast-to-coast lay-in to pull the Ephs within nine with 1:25 to go. A pair of missed free throws left the door open for senior tri-captain Tucker Kain to get the crowd back in the game. Kain drilled two long threes in helping to cut the Jeff lead to 79-74 with just over a minute to go, but after senior forward Andrew Schiel managed to convert two free throws, the Ephs could not find a well-guarded Kain and the run came to a close.
Kain had a game-high 21 points and 18 rebounds in posting a double-double, while senior tri-captain Michael Graham (18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) seemed at times to be single-handedly keeping the Ephs in the game with his aggressive driving and gritty defense.
The Ephs were forced to spend most of the game attempting to pull themselves within reach. After falling behind 23-10 early in the first half, first-years Chris Shalvoy and Chris Rose came off the bench to help spark a 10-4 Eph run that brought the score to 35-22 with just under 10 minutes to go. This helped the Ephs to recover, as they managed to hang with the Jeffs and finish the half down 44-30. But, unable to find much of a running game or a consistent outside threat, Williams could not find the firepower to match the Amherst offense and the deficit stayed at around a dozen for most of the contest.
Forwards Andrew Schiel (20 points) and John Casnocha (19 points) powered an Amherst offense that managed to shoot 56.9% from in the field in posting 88 points. After Schiel and Casnocha dominated inside in the first half, the Ephs adjusted in hopes of limiting the bigmen only to watch Lord Jeff guards Andrew Olson (16 points, 8-8 from the line) and John Bedford (10 points) step up as slashers.
For the Ephs, it was their second straight loss and third straight game in which they surrendered 80-plus points. On the year, Williams is 1-3 when giving up more than 80 points.
“Amherst played well and executed,” said Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen. “But it was another awful defensive performance on our part. I thought we were ready and we weren’t. They were a lot tougher than we were in the first half and then they made some shots late in the shot clock in the second half that made it difficult to get past that 10 point barrier.
“Looking forward, we have to keep working defensively. Some of it is technique but most of it is a mindset. We need to play with more toughness.”
The Ephs, currently ranked 13th in the nation, will look to get back in the win column when they open their NESCAC schedule at Wesleyan Friday night at 7:30. Amherst, ranked 4th, will take its own shot at Wesleyan on Tuesday.