HAMPTON — Defense travels may be coach-speak. On Thursday night, that phrase rang true as William & Mary knocked off in-state rival Hampton, 73-61.
The Tribe (7-9, 2-1 CAA) limited the home team to just 38% shooting, but more impressively dominated the boards, 45-32, and held the fastest-paced team in the league to zero fastbreak points.
Trailing by one at the half, W&M used an early 8-0 run to take control in the second half and ran away with a double-digit victory behind five players in double figures.
Sophomore Chase Lowe led the quintet of Tribe double-digit scorers with 15 points and had an impressive stat line adding nine rebounds and six assists. Trey Moss added 12 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Charlie Williams and junior Matteus Case each posted 11 points. Junior Caleb Dorsey rounded out the double-digit scorers posting his third double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Tribe scored eight-straight to flip the halftime deficit to a 39-33 lead less than three minutes into the final frame. Junior Gabe Dorsey knocked down three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, and Williams canned his third 3-pointer of the night. Lowe drove the left side of the lane for a lay-up forcing Hampton to call timeout and giving W&M a lead it would not relinquish.
The Green and Gold margin ballooned to double-digits at the 11:33 mark on an old-fashioned 3-point play from Case. The junior guard knocked down a fade-away jumper from the baseline to beat the shot clocked and was fouled. His free throw pushed the advantage to 56-46.
Hampton (4-12, 0-4 CAA) responded with an 8-2 run, slicing the deficit to just 58-54 on a Joshua Lusane cutting lay-up with 7:53 remaining.
From there, it was the Tribe defense that put the game to bed. W&M held the Pirates to just 1-of-9 from the floor over the remainder of the contest.
The margin reached double figures once again on a pair of Moss free throws with 2:37 left, and the Tribe hit 5-of-6 from the charity stripe over the final minute to cement the road victory.
Offensively, the Tribe shot just 39.1% (26-of-64) but maximized its possessions by pulling down 17 offensive rebounds and turning it into 17 second-chance points. W&M also turned the basketball over just six times, including once in the final 20 minutes.
Kyrese Mullen led Hampton with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Jordan Nesbitt added 13 of his 15 points in the opening half.
The Tribe took the early lead behind a 10-0 run sparked by Caleb Dorsey. He scored half of W&M’s points, including an offensive putback to give the visitor a 10-3 lead three and a half minutes into the contest.
Hampton responded with a nine-point run, taking a 12-10 lead on a lay-up by Lusane at the 11:14 mark.
Neisbet scored seven straight points to give the Pirates their largest lead. His corner 3-pointer extended the advantage to 26-20 and forced a Tribe timeout with 4:49 left in the opening frame.
The Tribe briefly tied the game back up on back-to-back 3-pointers from Williams and Gabe Dorsey, but six-straight HU points gave the Pirates a 32-26 lead on a pair of Kyrese Mullen free throws with 1:38 left.
W&M scored the half’s final five points, drawing within one, 32-31, on a Lowe driving lay-up with 37 seconds remaining.
Up Next
The Tribe returns home on Saturday when it welcomes Stony Brook to Kaplan Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FloHoops.
