Sports
Men’s basketball defeats No. 9 ranked Wesleyan to remain undefeated at home
By Robert Berk ’20
January 26, 2017
Tags sports
Hamilton men’s basketball has played very well over the first two-thirds of the season. Since going on winter break the Continentals are 6-2, including a big win over No. 9 ranked Wesleyan. The Continentals returned early from winter break and began the second portion of their season with two comfortable road wins, the first of which was against York College. The Continentals dominated the Cardinals and scored over 100 points in the 40-point win. The entire team contributed to this performance as players coming off the bench scored a total of 50 points. On New Year’s Eve, Hamilton followed up this performance with a 25-point win against Utica College. The Continentals got off to a slow start and were only up by four at the half, leading 45-41. Hamilton came out of the break on fire and quickly went on a 15-0 run. The great second half was spurred by lights-out shooting. The team shot 21-33 from the floor in the half.
The Continentals had a week before their next game against Connecticut College, which would begin a stretch of key NESCAC games. Hamilton beat the Camels 86-70 in the first game of the new calendar year; Hamilton never trailed in this game. Six of Hamilton’s players tallied double-digit points in scoring. While the game felt closer than the score suggested for the majority of the game, the Continentals’ stifling defense protected their lead. The Connecticut College Camels shot just 36 percent from the field. The following day the Continentals hosted another NESCAC competitor, Wesleyan University, the Cardinals ranking ninth in the nation. The game started off going back-and-forth. Within the first nine minutes, there were nine lead changes. However, once Hamilton went on a 15-3 run, ending with the score 27-18 and eight minutes left in the half, they did not give up their lead. Andrew Groll ’19 had a huge game, putting up 20 points and 14 rebounds, his second double-double of the weekend. The Continentals’ bench was a big reason for the victory as they doubled the scoring of the Cardinal bench, 38 points compared to just 19 for Wesleyan. Fundamentals were key in Hamilton protecting their lead. They shot an outstanding 92 percent from the free-throw line, only missing two of 26 attempts. The dominant performance should be taken as a warning to the rest of the conference that the Continentals are a legitimate threat this season.
The win marked the halfway point in the season. Hamilton was 10-2 and 2-0 in conference games. When asked about the successful start, Head Coach Stockwell said,:“This season, our team has established being accountable, being consistently competitive, and togetherness as our focal points,” adding that, “as the guys have embraced these values, each day has become an opportunity for us to get better.” Stockwell credited the team’s success to its positive mentality and talent: “This mindset combined with many highly skilled and versatile players has allowed us to have some good results in the first half of the season.” He also praised dynamic on the team Stockwell commented that while many sophomores and first-years have been filling up the stat sheet, the leadership of the upperclassmen has been “instrumental in us reinforcing our values on a daily basis.”
The Continentals had a rough start to the second half of the season. They lost two tough games to Bates and sixth ranked Tufts. Michael Grassey ’19 had a great performance, totaling 21 points and 10 rebounds. However, Bates’ twins Marcus and Malcolm Delpeche both registered double-doubles as well. Marcus had 17 points and 12 rebounds, eight on the offensive end. Malcolm had 12 points, 17 boards, and five blocks. It was a close game, but Bates pulled away and won 83-78. The next day the Continentals had another tough road game against Tufts. Peter Hoffman ’19 had a superb game tallying 22 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Kena Gilmour ’20 put up 13 points in just 17 minutes. It was a back and fourth game until the Jumbos went on a quick 14-3 run. The Continentals fought all game long and pulled within eight points in the second half. The final score was 94-81.
The Continentals have played two games since the start of the second semester. They won both of their games to continue their perfect record at home. Hamilton beat SUNY Polytechnic 83-68 in the first game of this past week. The Continentals played great defense, holding the Wildcats to 30 percent shooting. Grassey had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The bench contributed 36 points including a season high 10 from Vincent Conn ’20. This past Friday, the Continentals hosted Williams College. Gilmour had an outstanding performance scoring 22 points in just 23 minutes. He was six of seven from three. The Continentals outrebounded the Ephs by 10. Hoffman and Groll both had double-doubles.
With five NESCAC games left on the schedule, Coach Stockwell said the goal is to learn from tough games and know the areas that need to be improved upon in order to play stronger, better basketball and end the season strong. He went on to say, “Our defense needs to be more consistent with our techniques and rotations. Our offense needs to be sharper with details and improved decision-making. We have to continue to get our bodies stronger in the weight room. All of these areas will help us become a better overall team, which is always our goal.” Friday Feb. 10 and Saturday Feb. 11 the Continentals will host Trinity and Amherst in the last home games of the regular season. These games will be crucial in the Continentals’ playoff push.