WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- In a physical, hard-fought match up, Williams men’s basketball pulled out a 72-68 victory at home against Cortland State in the season opening Williams Invitational.
Williams led 46-37 at the half. The Ephs led by as many as 16, but Cortland was able to cut the lead back to nine before the half with physical play and strong defense. Nevertheless, the Ephs played very well offensively shooting 67 percent from the field and 100 percent from behind the arc. Senior co-captain Blake Schultz, after playing only 18 minutes the previous night against Southern Vermont, spearheaded the Ephs’ attack with 18 first-half points.
The second half was a different story for Williams. The Ephs were able to open up a 15 point lead by the 15 minute mark; however, the Red Dragons’ continued physical play and varying zone defenses stagnated the Ephs’ offense. Cortland cut Williams’ lead to six at the seven-minute mark, then took the lead 63-62 with 4:09 left in the half.
Williams fought back, however, as two Harlan Dodson free throws gave the Ephs the lead back less than 10 seconds later. The Ephs’ offense then stepped up, only allowing Cortland to score two more baskets before the game’s end. A Schultz layup with under a minute to go gave Williams a three-point lead. Schultz then closed the game out for Williams from the line, hitting six straight free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the 72-68 Williams victory.
Head coach Mike Maker was very complimentary of Cortland. “We beat a good team today,” said Maker. “They wouldn’t go away. They’re tough minded, they’re physical, they’re well coached, they’re disciplined, they stay true to who they are. They got more confidence, they played tighter, we played loose. Any time you can win not playing at your best, we’ll take it.”
Maker attributed the Ephs’ second half struggles to both the Red Dragons and circumstances surrounding his own team. “Their zone took us out of rhythm, our fatigue from having to guard a physical team that sets a lot of screens, and us playing not to lose instead of to win all played a role in the second half. And we are still a very young backcourt, for a lot of that game we played with a sophomore and a freshman backcourt. We’re still learning.“
Williams shot only 18 percent from the field in the second half and scored more from the foul line than from field, hitting 16 free throws. Schultz ended the game with 29 points and five rebounds; senior guard Alex Rubin scored 12, and sophomore point guard Jame Wang added 11.
Cortland was led by junior guard Ron Evans, who scored 26 points on 10-18 shooting and snagged five rebounds for the Red Dragons. With thirteen points, junior guard Dustin Marshall was the only other Cortland player to score in double figure.
“I am very pleased with the weekend,” said Maker. “We learned a valuable lesson today and we didn’t have to learn it through losing. This is what we needed. I am really happy because I didn’t think we played at our best and we still were able to pull out a win.”
Evans and Wang were both named to the All-Tournament team following the game, and Schultz was given the tournament MVP award.
“Blake Schultz is a winner,” said Maker. “He is our go to guy. With his competitive spirit, his will to win, putting the team in front of himself as talented as he is, he represents Williams in every way on and off the court.”
Williams will now prepare to face the Wesleyan Cardinals on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
“We have great respect for… Wesleyan,” said Maker. It’s a great rivalry. I am sure they’ll be ready to play. If we play our game and give everything we have, I like our chances, but it will be [tough].”
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
G Lance Spratling, Southern Vermont College
G James Wang, Williams College
G Ron Evans, Cortland State University
F Javon Williams, Lasell College
F Blake Schultz, Williams College - TOURNAMENT MVP
