Metro West Times

Ephs Escape From Down 18; Score 48 in Second Half For Epic 86-69 Comeback Victory

Playing their first game in 19 days, the Williams College Ephs (10-0) turned around an 18-point deficit into a 17-point win on the first day of the Clark Holiday tournament. The Clark Cougars (8-2) shot 7-12 from deep to score 44 in the first half — the most scored on the Ephs in a half to date this season. After ending the half on a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 6 at the break, the Ephs held the Cougars to 2-14 from long range in the second half while making of their 9-14 attempts. Cole Prowitt-Smith scored the first 10 points of the second for the Ephs to tie the game, before Declan Porter and Spencer Spivy combined to go on a 9-0 run — and Williams never looked back.
 
Speaking on the poise of his team in a memorable afternoon, Eph head coach Kevin App said, "This first tournament back, we're just trying to catch the rhythm we had before break. Every team has their own strengths and they test you in different ways. Clark was the best shooting team we've played so far, and they do a great job sharing the basketball. This group keeps impressing me with their willingness to stay together and understand that we have the capability to weather a run and get back to playing how we want."
 
Clark scored on their first four possessions of the contest, but the Ephs matched their intensity to tie the game at eight. The Cougars were the stronger team early, however, while the Ephs were more lackluster on offense and committed a few sloppy turnovers.
 
After checking in with a group of three off the bench, Hudson Hansen made an aggressive move to the basket and weaved his way around the Cougars' defenders for a layup. A subsequent three-pointer from Clark, however, put the home team up 20-12 seven minutes into the game. Although Spivy responded with a trey, the Cougars went coast-to-coast off a steal to stop any Williams momentum. 
 
Back-to-back deep balls from Clark lifted them ahead 28-15 — tying the biggest deficit the Ephs had faced all season to that point. Clark continued to hit their three-pointers to push the lead to 18.
 
With the Ephs needing a spark, Hansen successfully put back a critical offensive rebound. On the next possession, Spivy completed an old-fashioned three-point play that began a 12-0 run for the Ephs — six of which came in the final minute.
 
Hansen perfectly read a miss from Nate Karren as the first year skyed over two Cougar defenders and slammed home an electrifying dunk. On the next play, Evan Glatzer drew the defense in the paint and found Hansen wide open for another basket. To end the half, Porter stole the ball and thread the needle to Spivy, who beat the buzzer with a layup that made the difference just six at the half.
 
Even as it appeared the Ephs were on their way to a comeback, they still had work to do. Prowitt-Smith stepped up as "that guy" in the opening minutes of the second half, nailing two shots from beyond the arc to tie the game at 46 with 17:38 remaining. The Fairfield native also made his next two tries — both from midrange — to tie the game at 50.
 
After proving their toughness on the inside glass, the Ephs opened up spacing from deep — and their squad of star-studded shooters was ready to shine. Declan Porter gave the Ephs their first lead of the game with a satisfying swish. Logically, the Ephs gave it to him again on the next possession, yielding the same result. Spivy took his turn next, receiving a handoff and splashing in a deep ball to cap off a 9-0 run over 75 seconds to give the Ephs a cushion with 13:40 to go. 
 
"I was really proud of our bench," App stated. "Hudson had great energy, and Brandon Arnold's defensive intensity and rebounding continued what the first group was doing to start the second half. Brandon Roughley, who we asked to come off the bench to start the second half, didn't flinch and had a phenomenal half. That's how we want our depth and balance to be."
 
As the old saying goes, great defense leads to great offense. Resorting back to their defensive identity after a half that lagged far behind their expectations, the Ephs went into lockdown mode in the second period. The ability to force frequent turnovers was crucial in turning the tide and causing the Cougars to panic offensively.
 
"When we're playing with the pace and competitiveness that we want, our offense will come, added App. "We ramped up the intensity on defense — when their shooters did get open, they had less time and had to work harder for it. On offense, we started moving the ball better and getting into the paint."
 
As the Ephs slowly built up their lead, Alex Lee gathered and finished an impressive assist from Nate Karren in the paint that had App ecstatically expressing excitement. The bucket pushed the edge to 74-60 with 7:11 left.
 
"If we take what the defense gives us, make the right basketball play, and do what we're good at individually, good stuff is going to happen for us," App continued. "They were double-teaming Nate on the catch, which opened up shots for other guys. Also, with their press, the guards had to be really strong."
 
The Ephs continued to keep their foot on the gas, but Clark battled and forced them to play their best basketball. For example, an impressive athletic play on defense from Porter saw him grab a steal and pass it ahead in midair. Playing quick in transition, the Ephs found Spivy for a trey that moved the lead to 16 with 4:50 to go. 
 
The Cougars cut it to 10 with 5:42 to play, but Karren and Spivy made three-pointers and essentially put the game out of reach.
 
Prowitt-Smith and Spivy each netted 19 points on the afternoon. Hansen and Porter, who each had 12, also dominated stretches of the game. The Ephs finished 35-64 (54%) from the field as well as 12/22 (55%) from downtown.
 
After a night's rest, the Ephs will face Anna Maria at Clark University Friday at 4 p.m.
 
"Every game, we as coaches are learning more about our group. The guys keep building more trust in us — we don't have to revamp anything when we get behind, we just have to refocus and keep competing. They've proven that they'll stay together and trust that they'll find a way. We have a couple more to go, and we'll face new situations and adversity."
 
"One half, one game, or even one week doesn't have to influence how you play the next time," noted App. "We'll get another opportunity tomorrow and hope to finish this event with another win." 

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