Trailing 57-38 with 12:45 to play in the game, the Cardinals began to chip away against the Eph bench. A quick run that cut the lead to nine gave host Wesleyan the momentum headed down the stretch.
Williams held a 71-68 lead with 35 seconds to play when Jared Ashe made a steal and the Ephs chose to intentionally foul. Ashe knocked down both free throws to pull the Cardinals within one. On Wesleyan’s next possession, Robert Kelly came up with a huge offensive board, gathering an Ashe miss and laying it in for the game-winner with 8 seconds to go.
Senior tri-captain Michael Graham came close to saving the Ephs when his last second jumper rolled off the rim at the buzzer.
“This was the worst loss I’ve had since I’ve been coaching here,” said Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen. “This was just a bad night all-around for us.”
While the Ephs put together a tougher defensive effort than they had shown in their last two losses, the Cardinals still managed to get on the offensive glass 14 times and outrebound the Ephs 37-36.
Kelly led Wesleyan’s strong inside attack with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Ashe chipped in 15 points and three assists for the Cardinals, while rookie Nick Pelletier had a solid night as well (11 points, 6 rebounds).
Senior tri-captain Tucker Kain had a game-high 25 points for the Ephs and pulled down 13 boards.
A bright spot for Williams was first-year pointguard Chris Shalvoy, who made his first start of the season. Shalvoy played 36 solid minutes for the Ephs, scoring 13 points.
The Ephs will look to snap their three-game skid and record their first NESCAC victory of the year when they take on Conn. College on the road tomorrow at 3:00.