Metro West Times

Alex Lee's 25 Points Help Ephs Grind Out Win Over SUNY New Paltz, Complete Undefeated Non-Conference Schedule

What if I told you Alex Lee had that dawg in him? 
 
On an off-night for the Ephs in the final non-conference game on a Tuesday evening, the first-year guard shot 9-12 from the field and 5-6 from deep to tally 25 points in a gritty win to bring their win total to 20 on the season.
 
"My mindset every game is the same," Lee remarked after his big performance. "Go out, be aggressive, and do whatever the team needs. Today just felt different — everything was coming off pretty smooth."
 
"This is one of those games where you need the young energy. When the starters were still banged up from the weekend, he was really our spark. The way his confidence has grown throughout the year — I'm proud of him. We've had a lot of guys find moments where the team needed them individually and stepped up. Alex did that today for us, which was huge.
 
The Ephs (20-3) created a significant number of open looks in the first half but got unlucky with three-pointers rimming out or layups dribbling out. Meanwhile, the SUNY New Paltz Hawks (10-11) — to their credit — managed to finish well-defended attempts and play situational basketball to hold the lead for 75% of the half. Lee was the offensive leader of the opening 20 minutes for Williams, netting 12 points on 5-7 shooting.
 
The Hawks scored the first six points of the second half to go up by as much as eight, but it always felt like the Ephs were well within range to takeover. The takeover never happened, but clutch play from Lee and others down the stretch enabled the Ephs to escape with a win.
 
Lee's performance today may have stood out, but this game has been brewing throughout the season. The Houston native averaged 19 points per game his senior year of high school and has long been capable of a burst like tonight. When asked about his confidence as of late, Lee gave credit to Eph assistant coach Steve Phillips for all the reps they get up in practice together. Additionally, he gave major props to his teammates for "being happy for me and allowing me to be myself on the court."
 
Now, for the much-awaited play-by-play.
 
New Paltz went up 8-4, but a pair of aggressive baskets from Cole Prowitt-Smith were key in keeping the Ephs within a possession or two. The Hawks dared Declan Porter to shoot the ball; a bold strategy, which resulted in a swish from downtown to put the Ephs up 9-8 five minutes into play.
 
Sloppy turnovers and missed open looks allowed the Hawks to maintain the advantage, as they hit two consecutive three-pointers. Once they scored, however, Williams took just 40 seconds of game clock to bring the score from 20-14 to 20-20, Alex Lee and Spencer Spivy splashed in two treys in a row. 
 
Another five points from Lee, along with a crucial inside basket from Hudson Hansen, showcased the Ephs offensive arsenal. Nevertheless, each time it appeared the Ephs were in position to go on a run, the Hawks had an answer. 
 
Prowitt-Smith tied the game for the Ephs at 35 with 2:13 to go in the half, but the Hawks scored with seven seconds left to take a 37-35 edge into the break. Overall, the teams had virtually the same numbers from the field with 50% vs 48% and both shot 4-10 from deep.
 
The Ephs had a mediocre start to the second half, as a two-point lead turned to eight for the Hawks. Fortunately, a prolonged 8-0 run eventually tied the game at 45. Brandon Roughley worked inside for just the second Williams basket of the half with 15 minutes remaining in the contest, but the Hawks lead would stay at two possessions until Nate Karren tipped in his own miss to make the score 45-41. After forcing the Hawks to step out of bounds, Lee was clobbered by the defense and proceeded to knock down both free throws. 
 
Despite several steals and blocked shots, the Ephs could not push the pace enough on offense to take advantage. The score remained 47-45 in favor of the Hawks for several minutes, until they made another basket to go up four with eight minutes left.
 
"I thought we missed some layups, but a lot of it was our mindset," App remarked. "We weren't playing with the pace and moving the ball like we had been the last three games. Also, it felt like we were shooting every layup like it was worth 10 points instead of the 'next play' attitude."
 
Lee ended a five-minute scoring drought for Williams with a deep ball to bring the difference to just one. Subsequently, the Hawks and Glatzer exchanged a basket each.
 
Then, Lee would make another three-pointer to give the Ephs a two-point advantage. With the shot clock expiring on the next possession, he hit his third long ball in three minutes to electrify the building and go up 56-51 with 4:57 to play.
 
The energy indicated that the Ephs were in control, but the Hawks play said otherwise. Resorting to what had been working, they made two shots inside to cut the deficit to just one. After coming close to stealing the ball from Williams in full-court press, Lee wiggled his way out of traffic at the logo and sprinted to the hoop for an open layup.
 
Another Hawks bucket, however, meant the teams entered the final minute with the score 58-57. The Ephs consequently took a timeout to setup their offense. The Hawks defended well and forced a tie-up with just one second left on the shot clock. Off of the inbounds pass, however, a Porter "catch-and-shoot" three-pointer put the Ephs up by four with 27 seconds to go.
 
"Other games when we played this way, we've probably dropped them," Eph head coach Kevin App said after the game. "It was good to have different guys step up and make shots. I knew this game would be hard — two games in five days — but super proud of the whole team for finding a way."
 
The Ephs close out their conference schedule at Connecticut College on Sunday afternoon. That game will mark the final NESCAC regular season game of the year for any team, so the Ephs will know the potential seeding ramifications of the game by that time. Regardless of how other games go in the conference, the Ephs can secure a home game with a win Sunday. 

Original source can be found here