WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (TribeAthletics.com) – William & Mary’s second-half comeback fell short at the hands of Towson, 70-58, on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. Despite the loss, the Tribe (15-7, 7-2 CAA) remained atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings, a game in front of a pack of three teams, which includes the Tigers who have won six in a row.
Trialing for the majority of the afternoon, the Tribe closed to within two thanks to a quick 6-0 run with 6:34 remaining. Senior Andy Van Vliet [tribeathletics.com] found graduate student Tyler Hamilton [tribeathletics.com] for a lay-up to narrow the gap to 56-54.
The Tigers (12-9, 6-3 CAA) answered with a seven-point run to put the game out of reach. Brian Fobbs (3) and Allen Betrand (4) scored all seven during the spurt. In total, Towson ended the game by scoring 12 of the final 14 points and holding the Tribe to just one field goal over the final six and a half minutes.
Despite battling foul trouble in the second half, senior Nathan Knight [tribeathletics.com] led the Tribe with 20 points and six rebounds. Knight missed nearly nine minutes of game action after picking up three fouls in the opening six minutes of the second half. He was forced to the bench with four fouls and 13:57 remaining. Van Vliet was the only other Tribe player in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds, while Hamilton added eight off the bench.
Towson started fast, scoring the game’s first six points and hitting nine of their first 11 from the floor. The Tigers led by as many as nine, 14-5, early in the first half before the Tribe pulled even at 21 on a Miguel Ayesa [tribeathletics.com] 3-pointer midway through the frame.
The Tigers shot 63% in the first half on the way to a four-point lead, 39-35, at the intermission. TU started the second-half strong as well, scoring the first seven points to open up a double-digit lead, just four minutes into the final period.
As part of Coaches vs. Cancer Week prior to the game, W&M head coach Dane Fischer [tribeathletics.com] and his wife, Chelsea, pledged to donate $5 for each Tribe student that attended Saturday’s game. In total, the student attendance was 1,121, meaning the Fischers donated $5,605 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of Chelsea’s mother, Nancy Chowning, who passed away from cancer when her daughter was 16 years old. Towson head coach Pat Skerry also generously donated to the Fischer’s cause prior to the contest.
Jacob Gibson led the Tigers with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Fobbs (17) and Betrand (16) both finished in double figures as well.
Inside the Numbers
– Towson shot 53.1% (26-of-49) for the game after connecting on 63% (17-of-27) in the first half.
– W&M finished the contest at 44% (22-of-50) but was just 4-of-21 (19%) from 3-point range.
– The Tribe outscored Towson, 36-22 in the paint, but the Tigers converted 14 W&M turnovers into 23 points.
– TU outrebounded W&M, 31-24 and outscored the Green and Gold, 12-2, in second-chance points.
Up Next
The Tribe continues its season-long four-game homestand when it welcomes Northeastern to Kaplan Arena on Thursday, Jan. 30. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
