WILLIAMSBURG — A late 10-1 run propelled William & Mary to an 82-76 victory over Navy to close out the nonconference schedule on Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.
Five Tribe players scored in double figured led by 16 apiece from graduate student Keller Boothby and senior Gabe Dorsey. W&M (6-7) shot 50% from the floor for the fourth time in the last five games, knocked down 13 3-pointers, and dished out 20 assists compared to 10 turnovers.
Trailing 71-69 at the 3:42 mark, the Tribe made it closing push. Senior Noah Collier’s tip-in on the ensuing W&M possession tied it up, before back-to-back steals put the home team on top for good. Following a Gabe Dorsey take away, Collier hit his teammate for a cutting lay-up, and Dorsey was fouled. His old-fashion 3-point play put W&M in front.
After a pair of Chase Lowe free throws following his own steal, senior Caleb Dorsey knocked down a corner 3-pointer off a Boothby pass to beat the shot clock and increased the Tribe lead to an insurmountable 79-72 margin with 1:20 left.
Boothby connected on 4-of-6 from 3-point range in scoring his season-high 16 points, while Gabe Dorsey was 6-of-12 overall and 3-of-6 from long range. Collier totaled 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added seven rebounds, while Lowe turned in a strong 11-point, eight-rebound, five-assist stat line. Caleb Dorsey rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points on 3-of-7 from 3-point range to go with four rebounds and three assists.
W&M opened up a six-point advantage midway through the opening half behind a 10-2 run. Gabe Dorsey started the spurt with consecutive 3-pointers, before Collier scored back-to-back buckets to extend the lead to 20-14 at the 9:46 mark.
The Tribe advantage ballooned to double-digits for the first time on the third of Boothby’s three first-half 3-pointers, giving W&M a 32-22 lead 4:39 left.
The Tribe cushion was 11 points in the closing minute on a Lowe lay-up, but an Austin Benigni three-quarter court, buzzer-beating heave pulled the visitor within eight, 41-33, at the break.
A Boothby 3-pointer just 12 seconds into the second half extended the Tribe lead to double-digits once again, but Navy battled its way back thanks to an 11-1 run. Benigni scored four in a row, before Carnegie Johnson knocked down a left wing 3-pointer to draw the Mids within a point. Jinwoo Kim’s driving lay-up at the 12:02 mark put the visitor on top, 53-52.
A Caleb Dorsey triple with 9:34 remaining briefly put the Tribe back in front, 60-58, but the Mids answered with a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the game. Donovan Draper, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, scored the final five of the run, including a 3-pointer to push Navy’s lead to 65-60 with 6:43 left.
W&M responded with five quick points, pulling even on a Kyle Frazier top of the key 3-pointer less than a minute later.
The Tribe finished the game at 50% on the nose from the floor (31-of-62), including 13-of-33 (39.4%) from 3. The Green and Gold also forced the Midshipmen into 15 turnovers, converting those into 17 points.
Benigni led five Mids in double figures with 16 points on 9-of-10 at the free throw line, while Kim added 15 points on 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Aidan Kehoe tallied a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Navy shot 44.4% (24-of-54) for the game and knocked down 10-of-23 (43.5%) from 3. The Midshipmen had the advantage at the free throw line, hitting 18-of-24 (75%) and on the glass, outrebounding the Tribe, 37-31.
Up Next
The Tribe hits the road for the opening two games of the CAA slate on Long Island. W&M travels to Hofstra on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m., before making the trek to Stony Brook on Saturday, Jan. 4, at noon. Both games will be broadcast on FloCollege and can be heard over the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley on the call.
