| Day |
Date |
Place |
Time |
Opponent |
Results |
Notes |
| Wed. |
Nov. 7 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Bucks County Community College |
95-86, W |
[view] |
| The basketball team opened up their 2007-08 campaign with a 95-86 win over Bucks County College before a raucous crowd at the Restall Sport Center. The Mechanics trailed early on but managed to gain a 5-point edge at halftime before a 2nd half blitz had them up by 25 points with 10 minutes to go. Freshman Nate Armstrong led the team with 24 points to go with 8 assists in his 1st collegiate game while senior Joey Soto added 19 points on 5 3-pointers-all in the 2nd half. Freshmen Kareen Walls and Davar Watson also chipped in with 17 point each while Walls added 9 rebounds. [close] |
|
| Mon. |
Nov. 12 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
St. Joseph University JV |
86-48, W |
[view] |
| Joey Soto had 16 points, Kareen Walls added 14 points and 6 rebounds, Nate Armstrong added 14 points and 5 assists and all but one player on the roster scored as Williamson moved to 2-0 on the year. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Nov. 15 |
H |
7:00 P.M. |
Delaware County Community College |
84-56, W |
[view] |
| Williamson raced to a 46-12 halftime lead and never looked back as they trounced their backyard rivals to move to 3-0 on the year. Davar Watson led the way with 15 points and 5 rebounds, while Nate Armstrong added 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Marquis Cuffee also chipped in with 13 points as once again 12 Williamson players hit the scoring column. [close] |
|
| Fri. |
Nov. 16 |
A |
8:00 P.M. |
Okidata Classic Tournament
(Widener University, Catholic University, Delaware Valley College) |
64-67, L |
[view] |
| In a great game that saw 5 lead changes in the final 10 minutes of the 2nd half, Williamson gave defending NCAA MAC and NCAA qualifier Widener University all it could handle before finally losing out in the final minute. A controversial call that went Widener’s way in the final 30 seconds helped seal the win for the host Pride in the opening round of the 2007 Okidata Tournament. Davar Watson had 16 pints, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots while Jose Soto added 19 points to lead Williamson. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Nov. 17 |
A |
TBA |
Okidata Classic Tournament
Consolation Round |
57-44, W |
[view] |
| Williamson demolished NCAA member Delaware Valley College in a game that was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. Jose Soto led the team with 19 points and was named to the All Tournament team. Marquis Cuffee added 12 points and Davar Watson netted 10 points and hauled down 10 rebounds for Williamson. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Nov. 29 |
H |
7:00 P.M. |
Northampton Community College |
72-71, L |
[view] |
| Nate Armstrong’s incredible 4 point play with 15 seconds left pulled Williamson to within 1 before a last second shot at the buzzer fell just short giving the Spartans the win and allowing them to remain undefeated. Armstrong led Williamson with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while Davar Watson added 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Williamson. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Dec. 1 |
H |
2:00 P.M. |
Christendom College |
72-55, W |
[view] |
| Davar Watson scored 20 points, hauled in 8 rebounds and blocked 5 shots to lead Williamson to the Eastern Atlantic Conference victory. Don Van Horn added 11 points and 4 assists while Nate Armstrong added 11 points and 6 assists. Jose Soto added 10 points and Kareem Walls added 10 points and 5 rebounds for the Mechanics. [close] |
|
| Tues. |
Dec. 4 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Washington Bible College |
95-30, W |
[view] |
| Jose Soto had 20 points to lead 6 Mechanics players in double figures as Williamson romped to the victory. Marquis Cuffee added 14 points while Joe Marshall scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for Williamson who saw 9 different players score point during the game. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Dec. 6 |
H |
7:00 P.M. |
Albright College JV |
88-79, W |
[view] |
| Trailing by 10 points with 2 minutes to go, the Mechanics staged a dramatic comeback to send the game into overtime where they never trailed en route to the exciting win before a rowdy crowd at the Restall Center. Jose Soto led the team with 30 points and it was his free throw with 1.2 seconds left that sent the game into the extra session. Big Joe Marshall filled in for an injured Davar Watson and had the game of his career with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Marquis Cuffee added 14 points while Nate Armstrong added 10 for the winning Mechanics. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Dec. 8 |
A |
5:00 P.M. |
St. Joseph’s University-Brooklyn |
58-77, L |
[view] |
| Williamson ran into a buzz saw in New York as they were defeated by the # 10 team in the nation. Williamson trailed by 10 at half and was never able to make a run to get any closer as they fell to 7-3 on the year. The loss dropped the Mechanics from #2 in the nation down to #7 in the latest USCAA Division II poll. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Dec. 13 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Lehigh-Carbon Community College |
postponed |
|
| So email me back and let me know if you guys are ok with this, and I'll go ahead and set up all the schedules this way. Then I'll move on to the links across the top and the other pages. Sound good? |
|
| Wed. |
Jan. 2 |
A |
TBD |
Sponaugle New Year’s Tournament @ Franklin and Marshall College
(Alvernia University, Southern Virginia University, Franklin and Marshall College) |
62-56, L |
[view] |
| Williamson had the ball and trailed by just 2 points with under 30 seconds to play before a missed shot and 2 ensuing fouls allowed Alvernia to pull out the win. The loss was the 2nd time Williamson has close to upsetting a very good NCAA III squad. Widener University, currently 11-1 on the year as of this update, was the other one. Williamson does have a win over NCAA member Delaware Valley College earlier in the year. Davar Watson led Williamson with 30 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 3 steals and 3 assists while Kareen Walls added 13 points. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Jan. 3 |
A |
TBD |
Sponaugle New Year’s Tournament |
94-90, W |
[view] |
| In a game that saw 5 lead changes in the 2nd half, Williamson was able to grab the early overtime lead en route to the upset of USCAA Division I Southern Virginia. Jose Soto had a monster game as he hit for 35 points while Nate Armstrong added 23 points. Davar Watson, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 18 points and 6 rebounds for the victorious Mechanics. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Jan. 12 |
A |
3:00 P.M. |
Delaware County Community College |
77-50, W |
[view] |
| All 10 Williamson players scored as Williamson once again pounded their backyard rivals to move to 9-4 on the year. Nate Armstrong led the way with 17 points while Davar Watson chipped in with 15. Jose Soto and Marquis Cuffee each added 10. [close] |
|
| Wed. |
Jan. 16 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Bucks County Community College |
69-49, W |
[view] |
| Davar Watson scored 17 points while Pete Achuff and Nate Armstrong each added 12 points to lead Williamson. The win improves Williamson to 10-4 on the year. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Jan. 19 |
H |
2:00 P.M. |
Southern Virginia University |
76-74, L |
[view] |
| Davar Watson had 23 points, Nate Armstrong added 18 while Jose Soto and Marquis Cuffee each chipped in with 12 but it was not quite enough as the Mechanics lost to the #4 ranked team in the nation in the latest USCAA Division I poll. Williamson staged a late rally, trailing by 17 with 8 minutes to go before coming up short at the end. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Jan. 24 |
H |
7:00 P.M. |
Eastern University JV |
76-56, W |
[view] |
| Jose Soto scored 18 points and Nate Armstrong added 16 to lead a balanced attack for Williamson. Williamson had a 7 point halftime lead with the Eagles pulling to within 3 early in the 2nd half before the Mechanics were finally able to pull away. [close] |
|
| Sun. |
Jan. 27 |
H |
2:00 P.M. |
Valley Forge Military College |
111-57, W |
[view] |
| Williamson raced out to a 57-17 halftime lead and never looked back. Shannon Taylor led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds. [close] |
|
| Tues. |
Jan. 29 |
H |
7:00 P.M. |
Valley Forge Christian College |
92-90, L
(3 O.T.) |
[view] |
| Before a raucous crowd and a halftime show that featured the St. Joseph’s University Dance team, the Mechanics came up just short in one of the all-time classic games to be played in the 20 year history of the Restall Center. Williamson hit a last second shot to send the game into overtime and had chances to win the game in the 2nd and 3rd overtimes before losing to the Patriots who were ranked #5 in the nation in the latest NCCAA Division II national poll. Early in the 1st half Williamson’s own Jose Soto became just the 7th player in the Restall era and 13th overall to score over 1,000 points in his career. He finished with 17 points on the night. Kareen Walls led the way for Williamson with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Davar Watson, who fouled out at the end of regulation, added 18 and Nate Armstrong, who also fouled out, added 17. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Jan. 31 |
A |
8:00 P.M. |
St. Joseph’s University-JV |
77-55, W |
[view] |
| Jose Soto led the way with 21 points and Davar Watson and Nate Armstrong also reached double figures to help the Mechanics upend the NCAA Division I JV squad and move to 13-6 on the year. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Feb. 2 |
A |
1:00 P.M. |
Christendom College |
80-59, W |
[view] |
| Davar Watson scored 27 points to lead Williamson as they routed the Crusaders in Front Royal, Virginia. [close] |
|
| Mon. |
Feb. 4 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Albright College JV |
71-63, W |
[view] |
| It wasn’t easy but Davar Watson’s 18 points led Williamson to the victory. Marquis Cuffee added 14 while Nate Armstrong and Jose Soto also scored in double figures for the Mechanics [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Feb. 7 |
H |
8:00 P.M. |
Atlantic-Cape Community College |
68-41, W |
[view] |
| Jose Soto had 21 points while Nate Armstrong added 13 and the Mechanics raced out to a 35-10 halftime lead and never looked back. Joe Marshall and Donnie Van Horn each added 9 points for Williamson. [close] |
|
| Sat. |
Feb. 9 |
H |
TBD |
Eastern Atlantic Conference Tournament (Round 1 vs. Christendom) |
69-32, W |
[view] |
| Kareen Walls had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead 10 Mechanic players in the scoring column as Williamson advances to the championship round of the Eastern Atlantic Conference tournament for the 2nd straight year.[close] |
|
| Sun. |
Feb. 10 |
H |
TBD |
Eastern Atlantic Conference Tournament (Championship Round vs. Briarcliffe) |
84-72, L |
[view] |
| An extremely athletic Briarcliffe team fell behind by 8 in the 1st half only to come roaring back with a 16-2 run in the 2nd half to capture the 2008 Eastern Atlantic Conference tournament championship. Twenty-two turnovers and 37% shooting doomed Williamson as they lost in the championship game for the 2nd year in a row. Davar Watson had 25 points to lead Williamson. Both Watson and Jose Soto made the All Tournament team for Williamson. [close] |
|
| Thur. |
Feb. 14 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Camden County College |
69-67, W |
[view] |
| Davar Watson had 20 points while Nate Armstrong and Joey Soto also scored in double figures to lead to the victory over the Cougars. [close] |
|
| Mon. |
Feb. 18 |
A |
7:00 P.M. |
Valley Forge Military College |
83-45, W |
[view] |
Davar Watson, Nate Armstrong, Jose Soto, and Pete Achuff all scored in double figures to lead Williamson in the route of the Trojans. Ameer Fields added 7 points for the Mechanics.
For the 4th time in the 6 year tenure of head coach Bill Michaels the Williamson basketball team has received a bid to the 2008 USCAA Division II National Basketball Championships. The event is being held in Portland, Maine on February 28-March 1. Williamson is currently ranked 4th in the nation in the latest USCAA poll and has drawn the #4 seed at Nationals. They will play # 5 seeded Hesser College in the opening round on 2/28. [close] |
|
| Fri.- Sat. |
Feb. 22-23 |
A |
TBA |
Great Ships Classic @ Apprentice School (Apprentice School, Voorhees College) |
71-68, L
59-46, W |
[view] |
In preparation for their trip to the 2008 USCAA National Championship appearance, the basketball team took part in the Great Ships Classic in Newport News, Virginia this past weekend. Not only did they manage to pull off the biggest win in school history (to date) on Saturday but they also managed to set school history along the way.
On Friday, the team lost to the #4 team in the USCAA Division I poll (scholarship division) Southern Virginia University in a 71-68 nail biter. Daver Watson and Jose Soto each had 22 points in the loss. They then had to play host Newport News, the #2 ranked team in the USCAA Division I poll in front of a Senior Night home crowd. The teams were tied at half-time before Williamson pulled away for good with under 10 minutes to go in the game and never looked back. The Williamson defense held the Builders to under 50 points for the 1st time all season. Apprentice had been averaging over 80 points per game coming into the contest! Davar Watson had 28 point and 13 rebounds to lead Williamson and was named the tournament’s 1st team All-Classic team.
In addition to the biggest win in school history, the win also gave this year’s team its 20th (20-8 overall) victory becoming the first basketball team in school history to accomplish such a feat. [close] |
|
| Wed.-Sat. |
Feb. 27-Mar. 1 |
A |
TBD |
USCAA National Championships @ Southern Maine College (must qualify) |
Round 1
57–47, W |
[view] |
Behind 18 points from Davar Watson and another stifling defensive effort, #4 seeded Williamson dominated #5 seeded Hesser College in the opening round of the USCAA National Tournament by a score of 57-47. Williamson managed to hold Hesser, who was averaging over 80 points per game to a mere 16 points in the first half! Though the final margin was 10 points, Williamson actually led by 18 points with under 3 minutes to play.
Next up for Williamson is #8 seeded University of Cinncinati-Cleremont, ;last year's National Champion, who managed to upset #1 seeded Penn State-Kensington to advance to the Final 4. The 2 teams met in the national play-offs 4 years ago with Cinncinati-Cleremont coming out on top. The game will take place Friday night @ 6:30 P.M. The audio for the game is being streamed by the host site over the web. For those wishing to tune in, go to the USCAA's main site @ www.theuscaa.com and follow the link to the Division II tournament site.
In addition to the team's success, Williamson's own Davar Watson was named a 1st team USCAA All American at Wednesday night's USCAA National Banquet. Davar averages over 16 points and 7 rebounds per game and is currently 4th in the nation in blocked shots. He becomes the 3rd USCAA 1st team All-American in school history. [close] |
|
| Wed.-Sat. |
Feb. 27-Mar. 1 |
A |
TBD |
USCAA National Championships @ Southern Maine College (must qualify) |
Round 2
57–54, W |
[view] |
Down by 4 points late in the 2nd half, Williamson rallied to take a late lead and then held their breath as a last second3-point attempt by defending USCAA National Champions University of Cincinnati-Clermont fell short propelling Williamson into the 2008 USCAA Division II National Championship game!
While Davar Watson once again led the team in scoring it was another tremendous defensive effort by the entire team that proved to be the difference for the Mechanics. They once again held a team almost 20 points below their average points per game total as they eked out the 57-54 victory.
Tomorrow's opponent in the championship game is Taylor University-Fort Wayne who is the #3 seed in the tournament. They made it into the finals by upsetting #2 seed and host Southern Maine. Taylor-Fort Wayne and Williamson played in the semi-finals in 2006 with Taylor-Fort Wayne coming out on top.
Tomorrow's championship appearance marks the 2nd time Williamson has played for the USCAA National Championship. The Mechanics lost the 2004 championship game to Arkansas Baptist University by a score of 79-59. [close] |
|
| Wed.-Sat. |
Feb. 27-Mar. 1 |
A |
TBD |
USCAA National Championships @ Southern Maine College (must qualify) |
Championship Round
80-68, W |
[view] |
Spurred on by National Tournament MVP Davar Watson and another solid defensive game, the Williamson basketball team pulled off the greatest win in Williamson sports history as they defeated Taylor University-Fort Wayne by a score 80-68 to win the 2008 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II National Championship!
The game certainly didn't start out well for Williamson as they fell behind by 9 points early in the first half. As has been the case all year long with this team, they managed to fight and claw there way back little by little and actually managed to take a 6-point lead into halftime.
While Williamson deliberately played a slower temp in its first 2 games at Nationals, Coach Bill Michaels decided to try to speed things up in the 2nd half of the championship game and his coaching strategy once again worked brilliantly. Williamson stretched the lead to 16 points midway through the 2nd half and though Taylor-Ft. Wayne tried on several occasions to get back into the game, each time Williamson was able to repel them. Free throws once again proved huge down the stretch for Williamson. After going 0-6 from the line in the first half, they managed to shoot 12-15 (80%) from the free throw line in the 2nd half to ice the win.
Davar had another huge game to lead the team. He scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds. Nate Armstrong added 17 points. Jose Soto, playing in his final Williamson game, was named to the All Tournament team along with Davar.
In speaking with Coach Michaels after the game, he summed the championship up as follows:
"On paper, we perhaps were the biggest underdogs in the tournament yet our guys simply played the best tournament of all the teams and more importantly, we wanted it the most. I simply could not be more proud of a group of guys. We played like a true team and the chemistry between the guys was fantastic all year long. We received numerous comments about how classy our guys were on and off the court and that perhaps has me just as please as winning it all. That is what Williamson, and Williamson basketball, is all about. I am so happy for each of the guys and especially our 5 seniors. What a special group of guys and a special team."
The national championship is the first team national championship in school history. With their 3-0 run at Nationals, the basketball team finished the year with a 23-8 record. The 23 wins tied the school record for wins by a Williamson sports team. The 1996 baseball team also finished 23-8.
Once again special congratulations go out to Seniors Marquis Cuffee, Joe Marshall, Jose Soto, Shannon Taylor, and Donnie Van Horn, Junior Ameer Fields, Freshmen Pete Achuff, Nate Armstrong, Brian Campuzano, John Jewell, Kareen Walls, and Davar Watson, managers Brian Wallace and Curtis Schofield and especially Head Coach Bill Michaels and Assistant Coach Kevin Brown in winning the 1st National Championship in Williamson sports history! Way to go, Basketball team! [close] |
Congratulations Williamson Basketball - 2008 United States
Collegiate Athletic Association Division II National Champions!
|
