WASHINGTON, DC – It was a tale of two halves when the Ursinus College men's basketball team faced off with national powerhouse Williams in the opening round of the Catholic University Tournament this evening. Unfortunately, the Ephs caught fire in the second stanza, shooting 67.9 percent from the floor and draining 11 3-pointers to erase a 10-point halftime deficit and pull away for a 77-64 triumph in the nation's capital.
Junior guard Matt Knowles (Waverly, Pa./Scranton Prep) scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half to lead Ursinus (2-6), which made seven of its first eight shots en route to a 17-8 lead within the first six minutes. The Bears went ahead by as much as 14 in the frame, taking their largest advantage when sophomore forward Joseph LoStracco (Chalfont, Pa./Archbishop Wood) scored inside to provide a 32-18 bulge.
Williams (7-2), which has advanced to three NCAA Final Fours in the last six years and reached the national championship game in 2014, turned the game on its head early in the second half. Trailing 34-22 after a bucket by sophomore guard Brian Rafferty (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic), the Ephs made four 3-pointers, two of them by Cole Teal, during a 16-0 run in which they held Ursinus without a point for more than six minutes.
The Bears regained the upper hand on a three-point play by freshman guard Eric Williams (Plainfield, N.J./Hun School) that made it 44-43 with 10:32 remaining, but three more triples highlighted an 11-2 spurt that put Williams ahead to stay. Ursinus got as close as 54-52 on a layup by senior guard Mark Wonderling (Lederach, Pa./Souderton Area) at the 6:24 mark, but the Ephs scored the next four points and Teal buried two more treys to make it 64-54 with 4:39 to play. The Bears never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Teal scored 20 of his game-high 23 points after halftime, when he made five of his six 3-pointers. James Heskett was a perfect 4-for-4 from distance in the second frame for Williams, which went 11-of-17 on threes (64.7 percent) in the half and 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) for the game.
Knowles finished 7 of 15 from the floor to lead the Bears in scoring for the third straight contest. Rafferty added 11 points, senior guard Malik Draper (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) chipped in nine points and four rebounds, and LoStracco added eight points and six boards. Wonderling scored five points, matched a season high with a team-best nine rebounds, and handed out a team-high three assists. Ursinus shot 47.1 percent (24 of 51) and held a 30-18 advantage in the paint.
Ursinus will meet Waynesburg, which fell by a 71-42 count to the host Cardinals, in the consolation game tomorrow at 5:00 p.m, after which Williams and Catholic will vie for the tournament crown.
