“This was not an artistic win by any stretch of the imagination,” Williams Head Coach Dave Paulsen said. “But it was a win over a quality opponent, and we are happy with that.”
Williams had difficulty getting things going offensively, especially early on. Pressure defense by the Beavers forced mistakes and turnovers. The Ephs were held to just 23 points in the first half on 25 percent shooting and found themselves trailing 31-23 at the break.
“We really struggled offensively the whole game,” Paulsen said. “Babson played an aggressive style of defense and played very well defensively. In the second half we made some adjustments and started getting some more touches for Newton.“
Newton stepped things up inside for the Ephs down the stretch, while Rose knocked down 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Senior co-captain guard Casey Gibbons played the entire game for Williams, taking charge on both ends of the floor with 12 points, 3 assists and 4 steals.
A 20-for-22 effort from the free throw line in the second half helped to save an Eph offense that sputtered at times. Newton was a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe and sophomore point guard Chris Shalvoy (11 points, 4 assists) knocked down 9-of-10.
Defensive adjustments in the second half also fueled the Eph turnaround. After coming out slow, Williams played with a renewed defensive intensity in the second half, holding Babson to just 26 points on 9-for-26 shooting from the floor. David Votta (10 points) was the only Beaver scorer to crack double digits.
Rose was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament and Gibbons joined him on the All-Tournament team.
Williams will play Wesleyan on the road on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.