Men’s basketball (23-7, 9-1 NESCAC) continued its late-season resurgence with an inspired run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, defeating No. 18 DeSales (24-4) 77-51 in the first round and No. 9 Oswego State (26-3) 79-77 with a dramatic, game-winning layup by guard co-captain Cole Prowitt-Smith ’24. The defending national champions, the No. 23 Christopher Newport Captains (24-7), put an end to the Ephs’ season on Friday afternoon in a hard-fought 49-60 loss.
The Ephs were confident ahead of the NCAA Tournament, having won an at-large bid as the NESCAC regular season champions and six out of seven conference games. “We knew what we were capable of,” Prowitt-Smith said to the Record. “Our mindset was that we were peaking in our performance at the right time, and we were optimistic about taking it weekend by weekend and playing our best basketball.”
“When you make the national tournament, you’re hoping for those moments and those competitive games when you’re playing against other top teams in the country,” Head Coach Kevin App said.
The Ephs, slotted into the Oswego region, took on the DeSales Bulldogs (24-4) in the first round, who finished undefeated in MAC Freedom conference play.
“We went in knowing that they were a really good offensive team and that we had to play good defense and know their personnel,” forward Brandon Roughley ’24.5 said.
The Ephs’ defense proved up to the task, holding the Bulldogs to a season-low of 51 points. A tight first half gave way to a blowout in the second, as the Ephs kept the pressure on and finished with a 77-51 victory. The Ephs nailed 12 3-pointers and finished with a robust 50 percent field goal completion in the game. Four Ephs reached double figures, led by Prowitt-Smith with 14 points, Alex Lee ’26 with 13, Alex Stoddard ’23.5 with 13, and co-captain Nate Karren ’23.5 with 11.
In the next round, the Ephs took on the Oswego State Lakers, an explosive offensive team that entered the matchup having won 19 out of their last 20 games.
“People have said that this Oswego team might’ve been the best they’ve ever had,” Prowitt-Smith said. He and Roughley also mentioned that the two star guards for the Lakers, Ahkee Anderson and Jeremiah Sparks, were points of emphasis for the Ephs on defense.
The game was a back-and forth battle, with neither team establishing a stronghold and the lead seesawing until reaching a 37-37 deadlock at the break. During the second half, the Lakers stormed back from a ten-point deficit to retake the lead, fueled by Anderson and Sparks, who finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively.
With under 25 seconds left, the Ephs called a timeout with the score knotted at 77. The team expected Oswego State to play man-to-man defense on the final play, but the Lakers surprised the Ephs with a zone, Roughley noted.
As the play unfolded, the ball was in Prowitt-Smith’s hands with seven seconds remaining. He dribbled around the left side of the arc as the clock wound down, then made his move, slashing through the middle, and finishing with an acrobatic reverse layup, kissing the ball high off the glass and above the outstretched arms of two Lakers defenders to give the Ephs the win.
“It’s a play I’ll remember forever,” Prowitt-Smith said. App echoed Prowitt-Smith’s joy, thanking the four-year veteran of the program for prolonging the team’s season. “It meant we got a whole ‘nother week together as a team,” App said.
The game-winning basket capped a season-high 27-point performance for Prowitt-Smith. Karren added 21 points, 12 of which were from 3-pointers.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the team faced defending national champion Christopher Newport, a defense oriented team, according to App. “We knew it was going to be a defensive battle,” he said. “I think both of us are top ten defensively in the country.”
This proved to be the case. After the two teams traded the lead throughout the first half, the captains held the Ephs to just 20 points in the second half, slowly taking control of the game. The Ephs struggled from the floor in the second half, shooting 19 percent from the field and 18 percent from the three-point line.
Despite the tough loss, the Ephs remained upbeat about their season in the locker room. “We didn’t really talk about the game much,” Roughley said. “It was really just talking about how happy we were, reflecting on the season and all the adversity we overcame to get to that point.”
App echoed Roughley’s sentiment. “I ask that each group defines who they want to be,” he said. “This year’s team chose the word ‘competitive,’ he said. For them, it really came down to mental toughness and a commitment to staying together through any adversity. They really embodied that all year.”
For Prowitt-Smith, this season was the culmination of his basketball career. “It’s really a mix of being sad it’s over but realizing that you’ve had this incredible journey with awesome guys,” he said. “And basketball was the reason it all happened.”
