WILLIAMSBURG — Junior Chase Lowe’s lay-up with 4.6 seconds remaining capped a wild finish as William & Mary topped Hofstra, 61-60, at Kaplan Arena on Thursday night.
The Tribe (15-11, 9-4 CAA) led for the majority of the contest, including 15:34 of the second half, but the lead changed hands four times over the final 3:21, including Lowe’s game-winner.
After Hofstra moved ahead, 56-55, on a Jaquon Sanders 3-pointer, senior Matteus Case drove the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk to put the home team back on top with 2:28 left.
With the Tribe leading 59-58 and under a minute remaining, Hofstra (12-14, 4-9 CAA) made a steal on the defensive end and Jean Aranguren knocked down a baseline turnaround jumper to give the visitors their final lead with 12.9 seconds left.
On the ensuing Tribe possession, Lowe raced up court, cut down the middle of the lane, pivoting between a trio of Pride defenders, and scored the lay-up for a 61-60 lead.
Hofstra would not get off a game-winning attempt as Case stole the in bounds pass along the sideline and saved it to Lowe. The junior guard threw the ball toward the Kaplan ceiling and the clock ran out to preserve the Green and Gold victory.
Lowe led the Tribe with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while senior Gabe Dorsey added 14 points on 3-of-5 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds. Graduate student Malachi Ndur nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Hofstra guard Cruz Davis led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
The Tribe got off to a hot start, connecting on its first six shots and taking a 15-6 lead just five minutes into the game on a Gabe Dorsey 3-pointer. Dorsey scored eight of the Tribe’s first 15 points.
The margin ballooned to as much as 10 points with 3:32 remaining in the opening half. Freshman Ryan Jackson, Jr. scored on a lay-up at the 4:08 mark, before a pair of Case free throws extended the advantage to 33-23.
Hofstra scored the final 11 points of the first half to take the lead into the locker room. The Pride hit 3-of-5 from 3-point range during the stretch and took its first lead at 34-33 on a Davis 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining.
The second half was tight from the start. The Tribe retook the lead, 36-34, on a Ndur lay-up just 2:11 into the frame. The biggest lead of the half came after a 3-point jumper from Caleb Dorsey, 51-44, with 8:41 to go.
W&M finished the game shooting 46.7% (21-of-45) from the field, including 7-of-22 (31.8%) from 3. The Tribe dished out 13 assists on its 21 made field goals and held a 38-23 advantage on the glass.
The Green and Gold limited Hofstra to 35.7% (10-of-28) shooting in the second half and 41.5% (22-of-53) for the game. The Pride hit 9-of-29 from 3 (31%) and totaled 10 steals. Hofstra forced W&M into 20 turnovers and converted those into 19 points.
Jackson, Jr. finished with seven points off the bench, while freshman Isaiah Mbeng led W&M with five assists.
Up Next
The Tribe continues its three-game homestand by hosting Drexel on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. The game will be televised regionally on MASN and broadcast on FloCollege with Jay Colley and Bobby Dwyer on the call. Fans can also listen into the Tribe Sports Network with Andrew Phillips and W&M Hall of Famer Steve Jolley ’97 on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg is the flagship station of the Tribe Sports Network.
