Men’s basketball (18-5, 8-1 NESCAC) picked up two home victories over the weekend, ascending to first place in the NESCAC. On Friday, the Ephs took down the No. 4 Trinity Bantams (21-1, 7-1 NESCAC) in a 55-54 buzzer-beater victory to end the Bantams’ undefeated season. On Saturday, the Ephs triumphed 76-65 over the Wesleyan Cardinals (12-10, 3-5 NESCAC) in a senior day game, securing the Little Three Co-Championship title.
Friday night presented an exciting matchup for the Ephs against a red-hot Bantams team that entered the matchup undefeated with a record of 20-0. “They’ve had an incredible season thus far,” guard Cole Prowitt-Smith ’24 said in an interview with the Record.
However, Prowitt-Smith noted that Trinity’s last loss was exacted by the Ephs during the 2022–23 season. “It was a similar group to the team that we played last year, so I think we were really confident in how we matched up to them.”
“Everyone in our locker room thought we had what it took to beat them,” guard Alex Lee ’26 added.
Throughout the contest, the Ephs battled hard against the Bantams. But with just over two minutes remaining, a jumper put Trinity up 51-42. Despite their nine-point deficit, the Ephs remained determined. “We were definitely down and almost out, but we were just focused on the next play,” forward Nate Karren ’23.5 said.
“Guys in the huddle were just saying, ‘We’re winning this game, we’re gonna win this game,’ kind of trying to speak it into existence,” Lee added.
This team-wide faith paid off for the Ephs. With under a minute to go, Prowitt-Smith drew a foul on a 3-pointer and hit all three free throws, narrowing the deficit to just three points.
Then, after Trinity made one of two free throws, Karren knocked down a 3-pointer with forty seconds left, shrinking the deficit to a single point at 52-53.
With twelve seconds remaining, Trinity drew a foul from a contested shot. Trinity’s Will Dorion went to the line for free throws, missing the first and sinking the second to bring Trinity’s lead to 52-54. The Bantams took a timeout, and the Ephs drew up the game-winning play in the huddle. Prowitt-Smith inbounded to Lee, who came off of Karren’s screen, racing past half court and driving right.
Karren’s defender stuck with Lee, and Lee made the read, launching the ball to a wide-open Karren. Dorion scrambled to contest, putting up an arm — but Karren had already flung the shot, knocking down the game-winning 3-pointer. With a roar, the student section stormed the court to claim an Eph victory.
“It was incredible — that’s like what you dream of when you’re a little kid,” Karren said of the buzzer-beater. “I remember being in the backyard, counting down, ‘Three, two, one,’ and putting up the shot.”
The winning basket put the exclamation point on a stellar game from Karren, who finished with 17 points and five 3-pointers, including two clutch 3-pointers in the final minute. Prowitt-Smith tallied 14 points for the Ephs, and Brandon Roughley ’24.5 put up 12 points.
On the heels of the Trinity match-up, men’s basketball held off Wesleyan 76-65 the following afternoon. After a close opening 10 minutes, the Ephs kept the Cardinals to eight points in the final 10:39 of the first half, building a 43-27 lead.
In the second half, the Ephs landed shots from beyond the paint to maintain the lead. Though Wesleyan strung together some baskets, the team did not recover from the deficit. A final layup and elbow jumper from Lee cemented the game for the Ephs.
“We played tough,” Prowitt-Smith said. “We didn’t let anything get to us and just battled, had the game in control pretty much the entire game.”
Karren led the offense with 16 points, followed by Alex Stoddard ’23.5 with eight, Brandon Arnold ’24 and Prowitt-Smith each with seven, and Lee with six. Karren was named NESCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for his performances against Trinity and Wesleyan.
With the senior day win, the Ephs secured the Little Three Co-Championship, a title they share with the Amherst Mammoths (13-9, 4-4 NESCAC).
“It was definitely pretty emotional, especially considering how important our seniors are to our team and culture,” Lee said. “If we really wanted to send our seniors off the right way, we knew we had to handle business on the court.”
For the seniors, the win also resonated deeply. “I was just really grateful,” Karren said. “This place has given me a lot. The basketball program has been an awesome part of my time here, and sharing that with my family and my extended family, who is the basketball team, was just really special.”
This weekend sweep continued to build momentum for the Ephs, who have lost only twice since the new year and have an opportunity to finish first in the NESCAC with a victory over Connecticut College (17-5, 7-1 NESCAC) on Sunday.
Prowitt-Smith credited the recent success of the team to its resilience in the wake of multiple injuries and lineup changes, while Karren highlighted the growth of the Ephs’ stifling defense — which has allowed fewer than 70 points in all but one game in 2024.
The team also believes it can achieve college basketball’s most important prize.
“An [NCAA] Championship would be nice, and I feel like this older group that’s graduating this year, we owe it to ourselves,” Prowitt-Smith said. “We’ve gotten really close to that, and I think being able to do that would be something really special for our careers here at Williams.”
