Wabash rode a 20-0 scoring run to blow past Williams College 73-59 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. 

Wabash (27-3) trailed William (18-5) 43-42 with 13:39 left to play in the second half. The Little Giants regained the lead on a three-point basket by Ahmoni Jones as part of his 17-point effort in the second half. The junior scored 10 of Wabash's 20 points during the run. Tyler Watson added eight points and Kellen Schreiber scored two to put the Little Giants in front 62-43. 

Williams never recovered from the offensive explosion, only getting as close as 14 on its final shot of the game. 

Jones led Wabash with 20 points and grabbed five rebounds. Schreiber scored 19 points with 12 points coming in the opening 20 minutes. Watson tossed in  14 points and nearly picked up a triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists.

"What a great D3 game," Wabash head coach Kyle Brumett said. "That's probably the best defensive game we've played all year. I thought our guys really paid attention to what we were asking them to do defensively in a short turnaround time. 

"It was a different offensive game for us. Jack Davidson didn't have his usual offensive explosion but we're a team. Jack knows that. He leads that. Jack is in the huddles telling Ahmoni to be ready and then is loving on him when he's knocking shots down. That's about as joyful as you can be as a coach to see the players lifting each other up and then get the win because of it."

Williams did everything possible to keep Wabash leading scorer and Player-of-the-Year candidate Jack Davidson from scoring. The Ephs limited Davidson to 11 points but the senior guard took advantage of the defensive focus by finding other Wabash players to carry the scoring load. He matched his season-high by handing out eight assists. He also grabbed six rebounds and created two steals. 

The Little Giants forced 17 Williams turnovers that led to 20 total points for Wabash. The Little Giants committed 15 turnovers but only allowed Williams to score eight points off the miscues. 

Wabash trailed by as many as eight points in the first 12 minutes of the game. Williams used its taller lineup to score inside and take a 23-15 lead with 8:27 left in the first half. Watson cut the lead to five points with a driving basket and free throw. Davidson added two free throws after a technical foul was called on Williams to cut the lead to 23-20. 

Wabash continued to battle back and eventually took a 26-25 lead on a layup by Schreiber with 3:30 remaining in the opening half. The teams traded leads until the final seconds of the half when Vinny Buccilla drained a three-pointer to put Wabash in front 32-29 at the break. 

The teams continued to trade leads and baskets in the opening minutes of the second half. The game featured 13 lead changes and eight ties with the final change occurring when Williams' Brandon Roughley scored on a fast-break layup to give the Ephs the 43-42 lead. Jones responded with the three-pointer to start the 20-0 run, sending the Little Giants to their 23 consecutive victory and a place in Saturday's quarterfinal game.

Roughley finished with 16 points to lead Williams in scoring. Declan Porter added 12 points. Nate Karren tallied 10 points for the Ephs. 

Wabash shot 45 percent from the field (27-of-60) and was 8-of-23 from three-point range (34.8 percent). Williams finished 21-of-55 from the field (38.2 percent) but hit just two of its 16 three-point attempts (12.5 percent). Wabash outrebounded the taller Ephs squad. The Little Giants won the rebounding battle 37-32. 

Wabash plays the host illinois Wesleyan University Titans in the quarterfinal game Saturday evening. The Titans defeated Wheaton College in Friday's second game 77-73. Saturday's quarterfinal contest is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CST / 8:30 p.m. EST. Tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 5:30 p.m. CST / 6:30 p.m. EST and doors to the Shirk Center Arena will open 90 minutes prior to the opening tip. No advanced tickets will be sold and only cash will be accepted at the door. 

Wabash Fan Pre-Game Gathering Location - Wabash fans can get together at the Destihl Brewery and Beer Hall in Normal, Illinois, prior to Saturday night's game. The location is a 10-12 - minute drive from the Shirk Center. Wabash fans can start gathering at 3 p.m. CST on Saturday.

Destihl Brewery and Beer Hall
1200 Greenbriar Drive
Normal, IL 61761