WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – No. 9 men's basketball (20–5, 7–3 in the NESCAC) outlasted Trinity 73-71 this afternoon in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. The Ephs built a lead in the second half and withstood a late offensive surge from the Bantams to secure the win.

The second-seeded Ephs won handily in their Jan. 26 meeting with the seventh-seeded Bantams, but the teams met in Chandler Gymnasium today with heightened stakes.

Forward James Heskett '19 led all scorers with 25 points, shooting seven of 11 from the field and nine of 11 from the free throw line. Guard Bobby Casey '19 added 18 points on four 3-pointers. For the Bantams, guard Eric Gendron scored 24, 15 of which came in the second half.

Neither team built a lead of more than six until midway through the second half, when Williams began to pull away. With 13:18 remaining in the second half and the game tied at 48, Heskett's and-one layup ignited a 12-4 run that gave the Ephs an eight-point lead. Gendron, however, provided 13 points for the Bantams in the last eight minutes, pulling the visitors back within striking distance.

A 3-pointer from co-captain Cole Teal '18 extended the lead to 68-60 with 3:29 to go, but Trinity scored six unanswered points to pull within two at 1:48. Co-captain Chris Galvin '18 made a crucial driving layup to make it 72-68 with 22 seconds left, forcing Trinity to play with urgency.

Gendron, however, continued to fight back. With seven seconds left, he made an improbable one-handed 3-pointer to put the Bantams within one at 72-71.

Trinity then fouled Heskett, who made the first of two foul shots to bring the score to 73-71. Bantam sophomore Christian Porydzy missed a long 3-point attempt, and Teal was fouled after securing the rebound with just 0.3 on the clock. After rebounding a missed free throw, Trinity junior Jeremy Arthur launched a full-court desperation heave that fell short, giving the Ephs a slim 73-71 victory.

In the first half, Gendron, who finished with 24 points, scored his team's first seven points. He gave the visitors an early 5-0 lead with a jump shot and an and-one layup in transition. Williams bounced back with fluid ball movement and a strong inside presence. Down 14-13 with 12:28 left in the half, the Ephs went on a 9-2 run. A Casey 3 gave Williams a 22-16 edge at 9:54.

Late in the first half, Arthur caught fire from beyond the arc, helping Trinity briefly regain the lead at 6:16. The Ephs began to inch ahead once more before Bantam sophomore Joseph Bell beat the halftime buzzer with a step-back 3, bringing the score to 39-38 Williams at the break.

A Matt Karpowicz '20 dunk extended the lead to six early in the second half, but Porydzy made back-to-back 3s to tie the game at 44.

The Ephs managed to build their second-half lead through unselfish passing and stellar defense in the paint. Karpowicz, who finished with four blocks, and Michael Kempton '19 helped hold the Bantams to shooting just 40 percent in the second half.

Overall, Williams shot 26 of 54 (48.1 percent) from the field and seven of 16 (43.8 percent) from 3, and Trinity shot 29 of 66 (43.9 percent) and eight of 19 from deep. The Bantams had a 37-32 advantage in rebounds.

Trinity first-year Donald Jorden recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end.

Williams will face No. 15 Hamilton next Saturday in the NESCAC semifinals. The Continentals, seeded fourth, knocked off the fifth-seeded Tufts Jumbos 91-82 in the first round. Top-seeded Amherst, which narrowly defeated eight-seeded Bowdoin 71-70, will host the semifinal and final rounds. Game times are yet to be released.