MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Williams College Ephs (17-3, 5-3 NESCAC) defeated the Middlebury Panthers (18-6, 7-3 NESCAC), 78-61, in the NESCAC Semifinals on Saturday afternoon. In the second meeting between the teams this year, the Ephs shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the first half to take an 18-point lead into the break. The Panthers trimmed the lead and climbed back to within 13 points in the final minutes, but Williams held on to move into championship game against Wesleyan.
The Panthers came into the contest having won 15 of their last 18 games after starting 2-2. Their three losses came against the other top three regular season NESCAC teams of Williams, Wesleyan, and Tufts.
Spencer Spivy recorded the first basket for the Ephs, putting the team on the board with a contested jump shot 1:32 into play. Cole Prowitt-Smith buried his first attempt from deep on the following possession, and the teams would proceed to exchange baskets. A floater by Nate Karren gave the Ephs a 7-6 lead a quarter of the way through the first half.
The Ephs second unit entered the game for Williams six minutes into play, and a Brandon Roughley inside basket immediately gained the Ephs an 11-8 edge. The Panthers responded with a 5-0 burst and took a 13-11 lead. The Middlebury edge did not last long — Jovan Jones splashed in a 3-pointer and Prowitt-Smith made it 16-13. After Brandon Arnold finished a cut to the rim, Roughley hit a trey for an eight point Ephs' advantage with 7:13 to go.
Prowitt-Smith cashed in a look from a several feet beyond the arc for the highlight play of the half, igniting a spark in the Williams fans who made the trip to Connecticut. Declan Porter hit from the same depth just a minute later, and the Panthers took a timeout down 15 with 90 seconds to go in the half.
Somehow, Porter converted from even further downtown on his next try, and the Ephs took a 37-19 advantage into the lockerroom. Prowitt-Smith's 10 points and six rebounds — with zero turnovers — led the Ephs, who shot 14-for-30 (47%) in the half, including 6-for-12 from deep. Five players scored five or more points for Williams. Meanwhile, Middlebury made just 9-of-34 (27%) shot, and were unable to sink any 3-pointers. David Brennan had eight for the Panthers.
Middlebury began the second half with a score and a stop, but Karren and Spivy made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 20-point Williams edge. The Panthers began to run full court press with 16 minutes remaining, yet the Ephs continued to pile on points while making the Panthers work extremely hard to gain open shots.
The Ephs went up as much as 21 points on multiple occasions early in the half, and although the Panthers battled the rest of the way, they could not trim the deficit to under 15 until the clocked ticked down to under four minutes to go. After a pair of Spivy free throws pushed a 15-point margin to 17, the junior knocked down a deep ball for a 66-46 Williams advantage with 7:14 left.
Middlebury mustered together an impressive 10-3 streak together late to make the score 69-56, but two Prowitt-Smith free throws and a dagger three-pointer for Karren put the icing on the cake as the Ephs advanced to the finals for the first time since 2017.
Spivy was the high scorer for Williams on the day, posting 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field. Prowitt-Smith and Karren added 17 and 11 points, respectively, as the duo pulled in eight rebounds each. Roughley also contributed nine points off the bench without missing a shot.
After briefly enjoying the win, the Ephs will turn their attention to Little Three foe Wesleyan. The teams have split their two previous meetings this year — the Ephs brought home the victory on the road in November, and the Cardinals won at Chandler a few weeks ago versus a hindered Williams squad. The anticipated rematch will take place on Sunday at 12 p.m.
