In the end the Jeffs dominated the Ephs-just as they had in two regular season matchups-running away with an 85-67 win.
With the win, the Jeffs will advance to the semi-finals where they will face Conn. College on Friday at Trinity College.
In the 177th meeting of the two schools, the Jeffs jumped out to an early lead. At the half the Jeffs already held a commanding 39-23 lead.
"We were confident coming into the game," said Steve Zieja '03. "We didn't play up to our potential in the first two meetings, so we knew that we could beat them again."
In the second half the Jeffs maintained their lead, and the Ephs never really were close.
Zieja led the Jeffs with 18 points and seven rebounds, and Tri-captain Brian Daoust '01 added 15 points and a career-high 11 assists. "Steve and Brian had great games [last night]," said Adam Harper '04. "They have put up numbers all year, and they delivered again tonight."
The Jeffs had a wild finish to their regular season, winning two important league games in a road trip to Maine. The Jeffs entered the road trip tied for third in the NESCAC with Wesleyan University, and with wins in both games the Jeffs were able to secure a share of first place in the conference.
"We knew that we had to win both games over the weekend," said Zieja. "We needed to get a good seed in the tournament, and the weekend games were important." The first game of the weekend was a nail-biting four-point win over Bowdoin College on Friday.
Head Coach David Hixon '75 was given two technical fouls late in the half, and was immediately ejected. After the technical foul shots the Bears held a 17 point lead, but the ejection of Hixon sparked the Jeffs. Daoust carried the Jeffs in the first half by scoring 19 points-a full 70 percent of the Jeffs' scoring in the half. Behind his play the Jeffs were able to cut the Bears lead to 11 at the break.
In the second half a different Jeff team came out, and the Bears were no match. The Jeffs started the second half on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Tri-captain Erik Kelly '01. The Jeffs took the lead on another trey, and they were able to keep the Bears out of the game for the rest of the half behind a strong defense.
Daoust ended up with 23 points in the 69-65 win, while Kelly added 20. Kelly had his best shooting night of the season, shooting 60 percent from the field.
With the win the Jeffs moved into a four-way tie for second place in the NESCAC, with a showdown against top-ranked Colby College the next day. Whereas the Jeffs came out flat against Bowdoin, it was a completely different story against Colby. In the first half the Jeffs worked their way to a 16-point lead, and at the break they were up by 11. The Jeffs dominated play inside, and their outside shooting was on as well. The Jeffs shot 50 percent from the floor in the game.
In the second half the Jeffs clamped down defensively. Colby's Sam Clark-the leading scorer in the NESCAC-was held to one point in the second half. Daoust and Zieja once again led the team, combining for 33 points. Pat Fitszimons '03 had a strong game with 13 rebounds and 10 points. Ryan Faulkner '03 added nine points and six assists.
"We have been playing really well since Interterm," said Harper. With the 66-49 win over the Mules, the Jeffs moved into a five-way tie for first place in the NESCAC. After head-to-head records were considered, the Jeffs were seeded fourth in the conference, with Williams in fifth.