Williams downs Middlebury 64-58 to win NESCAC title
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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – In a battle of two nationally ranked
teams #2 Williams downed defending NESCAC champion #6 Middlebury
64-58 in a contest where Williams once led by as many as 17.
Williams wins its first NESCAC title since 2007 and the Panthers
fall in the final for the first time. Overall Williams has now won
four NESCAC Championships, Middlebury won its only title in
2009.
A Jake Wolfin three off a Williams miss at 3:06 drew Middlebury
within six at 60-54, but from there the Ephs used good defense and
clutch free throw shooting by sophomore guard James Wang to seal
the victory. Wang converted all four of his free throws on
two one and ones in the final minute.
Wang was the lone Eph in double figures netting a game-high 19.
Senior center Joe Geoghegan added eight points and a game-high 15
rebounds.
Williams won the battle on the glass with a 40-34 margin. Ryan
Sharry and Tim Edwards led the Panthers with seven.
Middlebury did not help itself at the free throw line making just
7 of 17, while Williams converted 12 of 16. The Ephs out shot the
Panthers from the floor 44% (23-52) to 34% (21-61).
Williams improves to 26-1 on the year and extends its win streak
to 17, while Middlebury is now 24-3.
Both teams will watch the NCAA Tournament selection show tomorrow
morning to see who they will be paired against in the first round
beginning next weekend.
Williams opened up the game with a 10-0 lead and it took
Middlebury a timeout and until 3:42 to get on the board and the
hoop was a three pointer by Tim Edwards.
The second Middlebury timeout of the first half came after Blake
Schultz found Ethan Timmons-Schiffman for a wrap-around layin at
12:16. And Williams on top 18-12.
At 7:19 of the first half Tim Edwards stole the ball and became
the Panthers’ all-time leader in steals with 191.
Trailing 32-15 Middlebury mounted a comeback and went on a 13-4
run with Edwards hitting a three, making 2 of 3 free throws, and
Jake Wolfin, Jamaal Davis Andrew Locke converting layups and Davis
added two charity tosses to pull the Panthers with eight with
36-28.
The Ephs’ Joe Geoghegan netted the final points of the half
with alayup with 31 seconds left.
Williams had nine players score in the first half with sophomore
guard James wang the leader with seven. Middlebury was led in
scoring by Tim Edwards who posted a game-high 11.
Williams held Middlebury to 30% shooting from the floor making 10
of 33 and 3-11 from distance. The Ephs shot 48% hitting on 14 of 29
and 3 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Both teams collected 20 rebounds in the opening half with Ryan
Sharry tops for Middlebury with five and the Ephs Joe Geoghegan
notching a game-high 9.
Middlebury downs Colby, 65-48; will face Williams in NESCAC
title game Sunday 12 p.m.
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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Middlebury’s
Andrew Locke scored the first six points of the second half and
eight of the Panthers’ first 10 as second seed Middlebury
took control of the NESCAC semifinal contest and went on to down
third seed Colby 65-48 in Chandler Gym at Williams College. A
one-handed alley-oop jam off a feed from Tim Edwards punctuated the
run. Locke had three dunks in the second half.
Andrew Locke and Nolan Thompson led the Panthers in scoring with
13 each and Tim Edwards chipped in with 10.
Adam Choice was the lone Mule to crack double figures with 10.
Mike Russell led the Mules on the glass with a game-high 9, while
the Panthers got a team-high 5 from guard Jake Wolfin.
Middlebury benefitted from an 18-8 advantage on free throws made
in the contest.
Middlebury with the win, improves to 24-2, and advances to their
second consecutive NESCAC final. The Panthers, the 2009 NESCAC
champions, will face host Williams tomorrow at noon in Chandler Gym
for the NESCAC title and an automatic berth in the NCAA
Tournament.
The loss drops Colby to 19-6 on the year and the Mules will have
to wait until Monday to see if they will secure an at-large berth
in the NCAA Tournament.
Middlebury took a 29-25 first half lead on freshman Jake
Wolfin’s eight points that were generated by two threes and
two free throws. Andrew Locke chipped in 5 for the
Panthers.
Chas Woodward led Colby at the break with six points. The Panther
defense held Colby’s leading scorer Adam Choice to four
points and a total of six shots in the opening session.
Choice’s only hoops came together drew the Mules within one,
19-18 with 6:24 left after Middlebury had opened up a five-point
margin.
Williams
downs Bates 71-48 to advance to NESCAC Finals
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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Top seeded Williams used an
11-point burst in the second half to turn back upset minded Bates
this afternoon in the NESCAC semifinal contest played in Chandler
Gym, 71-48. Alex Gallant of Bates hit a jumper to bring Bates
within five 42-37 with 12:59 to play, but Williams turned up the
defense and the offense and opened up a 53-37 bulge off of layups
by James Wang and Nate Robertson and dunks by Troy Whittington and
Blake Schultz.
The 25-1 Ephs won for the 16th straight time as Wang let all
scorers with 20 and Schultz added 15. Gallant (11) and Brian Ellis
(14) were the Bobcats top scorers on the day. The Bobcats finish
the season with a record of 14-12.
Both teams struggled from beyond the arc on the day with each
making 1 of 14.
Williams led on the glass 37-34 with Joe Geoghegan grabbing 7.
Bates’ leading rebounder was Ellis who also snared 7.
Williams hit on half of their floor shots on the day making 28 of
56, while the Bobcats were successful on only 22 of 62 for
35.5%
Williams will play the winner of the 4:00 PM game –
Middlebury and Colby --tomorrow at noon at Williams for the NESCAC
title and the NCAA automatic bid that comes with the title.
Williams led 32-23 at the half on the strength of dribble
penetrations for layups by James Wang that resulted in 12 points on
5-6 shooting from the floor. The highlight was a fast break where
Wang went behind his back to elude two Bobcats and finished with a
layin over a third Bobcat. The Ephs also received 8 points from
Blake Schultz (4-8).
Williams hit on 12 of 24 field goals in the half, but was an
uncharacteristic 0-8 from three. Bates connected on 11 of 34 floor
attempts and was 0-7 from three. Alex Gallant led the Bobcats with
seven points and Brian Ellis added 6.
The Bobcats were whistled for 12 fouls in the half and five
players had two, leading to 8 points from the charity stripe for
the Ephs on 11 attempts. Bates converted 1 of 4 FTs on four
Williams fouls.
Williams held a slight 19-17 lead on the glass in the first 20
minutes.
NESCAC PREVIEW
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- There will be an advance sale for the NESCAC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and finals to be played at Chandler Gym at Williams College on Saturday, February 27th and Sunday the 28th.
Tickets for Saturday’s semifinals doubleheader with #1Williams vs. #4 Bates at 2:00 PM, to be followed by #2 Middlebury vs. #3 Colby at 4:00 PM will be on sale in the lobby of Lasell Gym (Spring St. entrance) Thursday from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Tickets will also be on sale on Friday from 9:00 AM -12:00 PM pm.
Saturday’s tickets are good for both games on Saturday.
Fans may purchase tickets for Sunday’s 12:00 PM championship game at the advance sales on Thursday and Friday, but all sales are final.
Tickets for Sunday’s NESCAC Championship game will also be on sale Saturday afternoon at the conclusion of the 4:00 PM game in the lobby of Chandler Gym.
Ticket prices:
Adults: $5.00
Seniors: $3.00
Students: $2.00
Webcast Info: All three games of the NESCAC semifinals and finals will be available as free video webcasts here.
Ephs seek 4th NESCAC title
Williams College will look to earn its fourth NESCAC title this weekend when the top-seeded Ephs host the remaining rounds of the 2010 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship at Chandler Gymnasium in Williamstown, Mass. Action gets underway on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with the first semifinal featuring the hosts against fourth-seeded Bates, followed by third-seeded Colby clashing with second-seeded Middlebury, the defending conference champions. Saturday’s winners will meet on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 12:00 p.m. for a shot at the 2010 NESCAC championship. Tickets for this weekend are $5 for adults and $2 for students per day. Fans unable to attend the game will be able to catch all the action live via the Internet courtesy of Williams.
Williams (24-1, 9-0 NESCAC) has enjoyed a renaissance on the court this year, as the Ephs put together an undefeated record in league play and captured the number one seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 2004. In addition, the Ephs have eclipsed 20 wins, again the first time since 2004, with their lone loss coming at Randolph-Macon on Dec. 30, 79-74. A driving force behind Williams’ success this season has been the spectacular play of its offense. The Ephs lead the league in scoring with an 86.6 points per game average and they have outscored opponents by a margin of 21.0 points, a figure that is tops in the nation. It should come as no surprise then that the high-octane offense of Williams also boasts a NESCAC-best .529 percent shooting percentage and a .464 conversion rate from three-point range. A big reason for the Ephs’ offensive success has been the dynamic duo of senior Blake Schultz (Atherton, Calif.) and sophomore James Wang (Sydney, Australia). The tandem are both in the top five in the NESCAC in points with Schultz leading all scorers at 19.0 points per game followed by Wang in fifth with 16.7. An All-NESCAC First Team honoree a year ago, Schultz also has the best three-point field goal percentage in the conference (.545) and is seventh among all players in overall field goal shooting (.538). Wang is right behind his teammate in shooting from beyond the arc (.525) and is fifth overall (.570). In the Ephs’ quarterfinal outing against Wesleyan, Wang dropped a game- and career-high 30 points to help Williams earn a 77-62 victory and move one step closer to its first title since 2007.
Planning on spoiling the party for Williams this weekend is fourth-seeded Bates (14-11, 5-4 NESCAC). The Bobcats were in dire straits at the midpoint of the conference slate, holding an 0-4 league record and sitting at the bottom of the standings after losing back-to-back overtime affairs to Maine rivals Bowdoin (74-70) and Colby (73-66) on Jan. 22-23. With a playoff berth in doubt and a home quarterfinal game seemingly out of reach, Bates turned things around and won six of its final seven games, including a monumental 76-47 victory over Amherst - the first for the Bobcats since the 1987-88 season - on Feb. 5 and a 64-55, come-from-behind win against Tufts in the season finale on Feb. 13. Bates carried the momentum from the decision against the Jumbos into the quarterfinals and rolled past Bowdoin 80-64, avenging two regular season losses to the Polar Bears in the process. The victory put the Bobcats into the semifinals for the first time since 2006 where they will face the host Ephs, who were a 92-62 winner in the single meeting between the two on Jan. 16 in Williamstown. Bates and Williams have a bit of history together in the NESCAC championship, as this will be their fifth showdown all-time. The Ephs won the first two in 2003 and 2004 en route to their first two league titles, while the Bobcats won the 2005 first round meeting in overtime as they made their only conference championship appearance that year. Last year, Williams got by Bates in the quarterfinals with an 87-78 victory at home. Hoping to lead the Bobcats to Sunday’s final is junior Brian Ellis (Braintree, Mass.). Ellis paces his squad with 15.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, both of which rank ninth among all conference players this season.
Looking to return to the title game for the second year in a row will be defending NESCAC champion Middlebury (23-2, 8-1 NESCAC), the number two seed in this year’s tournament. Last season was memorable for Panther fans, as their team recorded a program-best 24 wins and earned its first conference crown at home over Amherst, 77-68. Middlebury picked up in November right where it left off last March with a team-record 10 wins to start the season. The Panthers just missed out on the number one seed for the second year in a row after falling to Williams on Jan. 30, 79-64, a game in which they were without leading scorer Ryan Sharry (Braintree, Mass.). Sharry, who averages 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, scored a game-high 18 to lead his team past a pesky Trinity squad in the quarterfinals, 56-52. Although Middlebury’s offense ranks among the league leaders at 75.2 points per game, its defense is second to none as it allows on average a league-low 61.1 points per game and holds opponents to a .362 percent shooting mark, the best in the nation. Heading up the Middlebury defense are senior Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) and junior Andrew Locke (Seattle, Wash.). The 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, Edwards has battled past injuries to return to the lineup and is second in the conference in steals (2.11 per game) and assists (5.26). He has also grabbed 7.1 rebounds per contest and has an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.13. Locke currently leads the league in blocks with a 3.68 average. One more victory for the Panthers will tie the record for wins in a season, while two more victories will not only surpass last year’s total but also give them their second NESCAC title.
Standing in the way of the Panthers’ quest for a second-straight title will be third-seeded Colby (19-5, 6-3 NESCAC). The Mules reached the semifinals for only the third time in postseason history when they handed Amherst its first-ever quarterfinal loss on Saturday afternoon, 67-49. Like Middlebury, Colby started the season off strong, posting seven consecutive victories at the beginning of the year and going 16-2 overall before dropping its first two conference contests at Williams (82-58) and Middlebury (72-57) on Feb. 5-6. The Mules are also similar to their semifinal opponent statistically, as they are second to the Panthers in both scoring defense at 61.3 points per game and shooting defense at .386 percent. Interestingly enough, Colby’s two previous first round wins in 2001 and 2007 came against Middlebury, the only squad among the semifinalists that the Mules have faced in tournament history. A win for the Mules in the semifinals would give them their first 20-win season in 10 years along with a guarantee to play for the NESCAC title for the first time ever. Leading the way for the Mules this season has been senior Adam Choice (Newport, R.I.). A two-time All-NESCAC selection, Choice has made a case for consideration as NESCAC Player of the Year along with Williams’ Schultz, as Choice ranks among the top 10 in the league in points, rebounds, steals, and assists. He is second to Schultz in scoring currently, averaging a career-best 18.8 points while starting all 25 games for the Mules.
2010 NESCAC MEN’S
BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinals - Saturday, February 27 at Williams
No. 4 Bates at No. 1 Williams - 2:00 p.m.
No. 3 Colby vs. No. 2 Middlebury - 4:00 p.m.
Championship - Sunday,
February 28
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.
