WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary shot 51.9% in the second half on the way to 78-65 win on national TV over Elon in a clash of CAA undefeated teams on Thursday evening at Kaplan Arena.
Trailing by one at the half, the Tribe (9-7, 3-0 CAA) used an early 7-0 run to take the lead for good early in the second half and then closed it out by hitting six of its final eight shots and 7-of-8 at the free throw line over the final 2:08. W&M won its fourth in a row, the program’s longest wins streak since 2020, in its first of four regular-season appearances on CBS Sports Network.
Graduate student Keller Boothby led all scorers with a season-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Junior Chase Lowe (13 points) and senior Gabe Dorsey (11 points) joined Boothby in double figures and had six rebounds apiece. Lowe was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor, including a 3-pointer, 4-of-4 at the free throw line, and tallied three assists.
W&M turned in a strong defensive effort, holding Elon (11-5, 2-1 CAA) below its season average in scoring (65 points on the night compared to 76.8 for the season), field goal % (39.7% to 44.9%), and 3-point shooting (20.8% to 32.2%). The Tribe’s pressure forced the Phoenix into 13 turnovers which it converted to 20 points. W&M also tallied 23 fast-break points compared to 16 for Elon.
Boothby scored nine of the Tribe’s first 11 points in the second half, and W&M opened up a 43-35 lead on an Isaiah Mbeng driving fast-break lay-up just under five minutes into the second half. It was all part of a 13-4 Tribe run to start the final 20 minutes.
A TJ Simpkins 3-point play at the 11:38 mark closed the visitors within a point, 45-44, but W&M ripped off a 10-2 run, mostly at the free throw line to open up a nine-point cushion. Boothby immediately answered Simpkins’ 3-point play with a corner triple, and Frazier hit a trio of free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt at the midway mark of the second half to increase the margin to 55-46.
The Tribe lead reached double figures for the first time, 65-55, as Lowe hit a cutting Boothby for a reverse lay-up with 5:42 remaining.
Elon cut the deficit to six, 65-59, two minutes later on an Andrew King top of the key jumper.
Caleb and Gabe Dorsey, though, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to re-establish a double-digit lead. The Tribe took advantage at the free throw line in the final 2:08, hitting 7-of-8 to put the game on ice. Lowe, senior Matteus Case, and Caleb Dorsey each hit a pair at the charity stripe. The Green and Gold was an impressive 19-of-20 from the free throw line (95%)
W&M finished the night at 43.1% (25-of-58) from the floor, including 9-of-32 beyond the arc (28.1%). The Tribe dished out 16 assists on just six turnovers and registered 10 steals, including two apiece from Boothby and Lowe, in the win.
The Green and Gold bench scored 31 points, outscoring Elon by 23 in the category. Frazier tallied nine points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Caleb Dorsey and Case had eight each. Mbeng, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, posted a nice six-point, five-rebound, five-assist stat line.
Elon scored the game’s first five points and led by as much as eight, 18-10, following a Brayden Crump tip-in just over seven minutes into the contest.
W&M answered with an 8-0 run to pull even. Frazier and Lowe bookended the run with triples, and the latter scored five points during the spurt. His 3-pointer at the 11:16 mark tied the contest at 18.
Neither team led by more than three for the remainder of the first half. W&M took its first lead, 30-28, on a Lowe lay-up with three minutes to go, but a Nick Dorn 3-point play with just a minute left send the visitors to the locker room with a one-point cushion, 31-30.
The Phoenix held a 41-31 advantage on the glass, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Tribe though outscored Elon, 13-12, in second-chance points thanks to 12 offensive rebounds.
Sam Sherry led the visitors with a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds, while TJ Simpkins posted a stat line of 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Nick Dorn and Matthew Van Komen rounded out the double-digit scorers for Elon with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Up Next
The Tribe continues its brief two-game homestand when it welcomes N.C. A&T to Kaplan Arena on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FloCollege. Fans can catch the action on the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley and Bobby Dwyer on the call.
