WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Williams College Ephs (16-3, 5-3 NESCAC) escaped with a 70-66 win over rival Amherst (15-9, 5-5 NESCAC) in a packed Chandler Gym on Saturday afternoon in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. While the Ephs never trailed after the opening minutes, Amherst stayed close the entire game and forced Williams to make plays under pressure in the closing minutes. Cole Prowitt-Smith poured in 18 second-half points to lead the way for the Ephs down the stretch.
After the Mammoths came up short on a game-tying attempt with four seconds left, Nate Karren sealed the win with two free throws on the other end.
A competitive first half began when Spencer Spivy dished an offensive rebound to Declan Porter, who buried a trey to give the Ephs their first lead of the game, 6-4, 3:09 into the contest. After a Porter miss a couple possessions later, Nate Karren tipped in the rebound for a 10-4 advantage. Amherst took a timeout with 15:44 to play in the first half.
The Mammoths hung around after facing a seven-point hole, and C.J. Mitchell matched an Alex Stoddard triple to make the score 14-11. The Ephs, however, went on a 7-0 run when Porter nailed his second long ball of the game to put the Ephs up 21-11 with 8:57 left in the first.
As the Ephs looked to open up a big lead, the Mammoths quickly sliced an 11-point Ephs' advantage to two. Just when it appeared Amherst would tie the game at 27, however, Alex Stoddard swatted a fast-break attempt and found a lane on the other end for a cutting layup.
Another Karren basket put the Ephs up 31-25 with 2:23 to go, and Williams would take a slim 31-27 lead into halftime. Both teams secured a bundle of offensive rebounds in the first period, but a key difference came in the capitalization of these opportunities: the Ephs had eight second chance off seven offensive rebounds, while the Mammoths scored just two despite five chances.
Comparable shooting in the period saw the Ephs shoot 39 percent from the floor, while Amherst shot 38 percent. Karren led all scorers with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and Spencer Spivy grabbed six rebounds at the break. Mitchell and Tim McCarthy each had five for Amherst.
Following a few tough misses in the first half, Spivy finished a critical and-one to push the Ephs lead to 38-29. Karren cashed in his third 3-pointer in as many attempts for a double-digit lead, but the Mammoths hit two 3-pointers of their own to make the score 42-37 with 15:05 remaining.
Evan Glatzer maintained the Williams lead as he found his way to two layups, and Prowitt-Smith knocked down a trey for a 49-39 lead with 9:43 left. Following an Amherst timeout, the sophomore buried another 3-pointer for a 13-point differential.
In keeping with the flow of the game, Amherst trimmed the gap to 53-52 with 5:37 left thanks to a 13-1 run on the back of two McCarthy 3-pointers.
Several scoreless possessions saw the Ephs continue to hold a one-point edge, until Prowitt-Smith kissed in a layup with 3:29 left. Amherst, however, answered back immediately to keep the lead at one point.
Out of a timeout, Porter dropped in two free throws after getting fouled away from the ball for a 57-54 lead. After the Mammoths split a pair from the line, Prowitt-Smith drove and finished to make it a two-possession game.
The Mammoths proceeded to come up short on two free throws with under 2 minutes remaining, and Prowitt-Smith knocked down two attempts of his own. Amherst netted a quick layup and called timeout trailing 61-57 with 1:12 left.
Eventually, the Ephs got a critical defensive stop and simply needed to make their free throws, as they held a seven-point edge with under a minute. A few misses from the line allowed Amherst an unforeseen chance to tie at the end, but Williams took home the victory on their home court.
The Ephs shot 22-53 (42%) for the game while Amherst went 25-64 (39%). Prowitt-Smith and Karren had 20 and 18 points, respectively. Three Mammoths reached double figures, as McCarthy had a high of 14 for the visitors.
