SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Williams men's basketball team defeated the Springfield Pride (7-2) 84-69 today to move to 8-1 on the year.

The Ephs took control early as they got off to an 8-0 start.  After Springfield responded, the Ephs continued to push and hold on to their early lead.  With the Ephs up 18-12 with 13 minutes on the clock, Taylor Epley finished form behind the key off of an assist from Nate Robertson.  On the next Eph possession, Sean Hoffmann dunked off of yet another pretty pass from Robertson to push the lead to double digits.  After Pat Rossi finished inside for Springfield, Michael Mayer hit a three ball to push the lead back to 12.  Robbie Burke finished in the paint for the Pride to cut the lead to 26-16. James Klemm, however, finished from behind the arc to push the lead back to thirteen with just under ten to play. On the next Eph possession, he added another long ball. 

Several minutes later, the Pride were able to cut the Eph lead back to ten behind a pair of free throws from Rossi and a finish inside from Burke.  The Ephs, however, responded with a pair of threes from Klemm and a third from Daniel Wohl.  As they finished the half with a three from Epley, the Ephs took the 46-27 lead into the break.

The Ephs were 10-for-14 from behind the arc in the first half.  Klemm scored 20 points in the opening frame on 7-for-8 shooting as he missed just one long ball in the half.

Out of the break, the Ephs got off to a good start on both ends of the floor.  Epley hit a three ball off of a pass from Robertson just ten seconds in.  On the next Pride possession, Mayer came up with a huge block.  After Springfield recovered the loose ball, Klemm made a steal.  On the ensuing Eph possession, Epley hit another three off of an assist from Wohl.  Despite great effort from the Pride on both ends of the floor, the quick start for the Ephs in both halves proved overwhelming.  The Ephs continued to push for the rest of the half – holding as high as a 29-point lead twice.  The Pride were able to cut the lead to 15 before the game was out, but it was too little too late for Springfield.

Epley led the way for the Ephs with 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting.  Klemm added 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Ephs.  Mayer had a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds.  The Ephs shot 58.5% from the field today and 65.2% from behind the arc.

Alex Berthiaume led the way with 14 points for the Pride and Jordan Rote added 12. Springfield was 37.7% from the floor on the day.

Said Coach Mike Maker after the game, "We're very pleased to get a quality road win against an opponent like Springfield.  They've beaten a couple of teams in our league – Amherst and Trinity.  They're hardnosed; they're physical; they're tough. I thought we controlled the game from the start.  Obviously we got great performance shooting the basketball from Taylor Epley, James Klemm, and Michael Mayer."

Maker elaborated on his three offensive stars of today's game: "We've gotten off to a slow start shooting the ball from distance.  I think we're now hitting our stride, and we're getting more comfortable offensively and getting more comfortable with one another.  For Taylor, I think this was a coming out party.  He's a very talented young man.  He can shoot from behind the arc, and he can also post and drive.  We all know what a good shooter James Klemm is from the three.  Michael Mayer, as usual, posted another double-double."

The Ephs will have a three-week break before they return to the court to take on Luther at California Lutheran on Dec. 29 at 11:00 PM.

Looking ahead, Maker said, "We can't practice [over the next couple weeks]; our guys go right into exams and go home for the holidays with their families.  We'll meet in Los Angeles on the 26th, and it's like starting over. As a coach, this is the most frustrating time of the year for me because I can't work with my team to make them better.  We're really pleased with the start we've had at 8-1 but more importantly with the way we're playing.  I know our guys have a lot on their plate with finals and are ready to go home for the holidays.  We're looking forward to the 26th and getting out to sunny southern California and have an opportunity to try to win a tournament at Cal. Lutheran and have the chance for us to get a lot better as a basketball team."