If you only looked at the box score line of 2 for 2 FG (both 3 pointers), 3 assists and 1 steal in 13 minutes played, you may not think that Paul Williamson was much of a factor in a 72-53 win. You'd be wrong.
Williamson came into the game about halfway through the first half when the Mountaineers were in the midst of an energy lull, for lack of a better description. Tennessee Tech was sitting back in a zone daring someone to shoot over them and no one to that point had shown the consistency to do that. Enter Williamson and 2 consecutive threes. A tenuous 12-10 lead is all of the sudden 18-10. Now, the Golden Eagles were wary of a deadly outside shooter and were making a conscious effort to guard him. This, of course, opened things up underneath for KJ and the others.
The humble Williamson had this to say after his contribution:
"I don't really know if the spark was me or not," Williamson said. "It was definitely a team thing." - Wheeling Intelligencer
Huggs had high praise for the Logan native after the game:
“Paul is our best shooter,” said head coach Bob Huggins. “They were playing zone and a couple of other guys I didn’t think took the game serious enough. I knew Paul would take the game serious. I think he played really well.” - Metronews
This is a perfect example of how the little things can sometimes make a huge difference in a game and that's why Paul Williamson was The Smoking Musket Most Awesome Player of the Game.