By Braedan Shea
@braedan_shea
From the opening tip, the Springfield College men’s basketball team was in full control of its Nov. 30 matchup against Amherst College.
Until the final five seconds of the game.
Finally playing in front of a full Blake Arena crowd after the teams home opener fell on the same day as dorms closed for Thanksgiving break, the Pride came out of the gates hot; feeding off the buzzing fans.
And no more prevalent was Springfield’s energy and intensity than on the defensive end.
With a starting five lineup consisting of no players shorter than six-foot-four, the Mammoths offensive philosophy was to use height to their advantage. Nearly each and every possession ran through the bigs down low, looking to either go up strong, or if double-teamed, kick out to an open shooter.
But with a defense as active as Springfield’s, that offense was to no avail. In the first 10 minutes of gameplay, the Pride made life miserable for Amherst. It felt that for every pass, Springfield got a hand on the ball. For every shot around the rim, the ball was being sent right back. And if the Mammoths got careless, the Pride poked the ball free.
The anchor for the defense during this stretch was none other than sophomore forward Josiah Evely. His presence was best exemplified during a string of possessions six minutes into the half. After a silky smooth floater on the other end, Evely pressured an Amherst guard enough to force them into a traveling violation.
On the ensuing Mammoth possession, after yet another tough finish on offense, Evely locked up the guard again, forcing him to fire a pass that was out of the reach of his six-foot-10 center. By halftime, Evely and the Springfield defense held onto a five point lead, tormenting Amherst with five steals and nine forced turnovers.
The second half opened with the feeling of déjà vu for Springfield – clogging passing lanes and getting quick, fast break layups. But five minutes into the third quarter, the Pride’s biggest problem became themselves.
In a span of just two minutes, and much to the annoyance of Springfield head coach Michael McClendon, his squad tacked on four quick fouls. When the Pride finally got the ball over half court after that forgettable sequence, the momentum heavily shifted to Amherst, even though trailing by 13.
In the final 10 minutes of the game, the script completely flipped.
Instead of Springfield dominating the backcourt, it found itself being unable to score. With just two minutes remaining, and after knocking down a pair of free throws, Amherst clawed all the way back to tie the game at 61.
After all that, Springfield still had the opportunity to close out the game, with John Paulino heading to the free throw line with 21 seconds remaining. If he knocked down both, at the very worst the game would go to overtime.
As the first shot hit the net, a collective sigh was released from the crowd. But when the second hit the front rim and fell short, that breath was quickly retaken.
Amherst bolted down the court, and with Springfield unable to set up defensively, a Mammoth first-year guard Johnny McCain broke free on the left wing. When his three point shot swished through the net, the only cheers came from Amherst’s sidelines. After 39 minutes and 55.6 seconds, the Mammoths finally took the lead – one that they would hold onto for one last shot, defeating Springfield 66-65 in heartbreaking fashion.
A bright spot for Springfield was junior big man Curtiss Blische, who was the Prides go-to man on offense. With a mix of good footwork and soft touch around the basket, Blische led all scorers with 19 points.
Springfield (2-3)looks to get a bounce-back victory on Wednesday, Dec. 6 on the road against M.I.T.
Photo courtesy Springfield College Athletics