From the official side of college basketball, the game is broken up into ten parts. Each section is about four minutes long, depending on when a play is stopped, allowing for the referees to call an “official time out.”
Official breaks happen five times each twenty-minute half: inside 16 minutes, inside 12 minutes, inside 8 minutes, inside four minutes and at the end of that half.
The game is interrupted in many other ways, between foul shots, injuries, and time-outs allocated to each team. Still, these official stoppages represent natural breaks not only in action, but often in momentum. WYDaily is reporting on this game in a new format, with a summary of each part of the game along with a video that hopefully captures that segment, like a play; which is why we are calling each segment an “act.”
The William & Mary Tribe men’s basketball team came into this game a heavy favorite. Tied for third place with Hofstra at 8-5, they faced a battered Delaware team, the Blue Hens, who came in ninth out of ten teams in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Tribe team has been a bit Busch Gardenseque in their play this year, with highs on the season-to-date roller coaster of a five-game winning streak, some truly miraculous comebacks and national rankings in shooting percentages, only to be met with lows including “shouldn’t-have” losses to Drexel, Northeastern and twice to Towson. Every game is important at this stage.
Here now, are the ten acts of Saturday’s game against Delaware.
Act 1 – Inside the Paint
20:00 – 15:52: Blue Hens 11 – Tribe 8
Both teams chose to work the ball inside “the paint,” more than shoot from the outside. When they did shoot from the three-point range, the Blue Hens had a better shooting percentage.
Video: Tribe offense moves the ball around the perimeter until an opening appears for Justin Pierce.
Act 2 – Pierce vs Delarware
15:52 – 11:56: Blue Hens 19 – Tribe 15
Eleven of the Tribe’s 15 points belong to forward Justin Pierce. The Blue Hens’ lone ranger was Ryan Allen, who kept Delaware in the lead.
Video: Justin Pearce in action.
Act 3 – Speed Kills
11:56 – 7:45: Tribe 26 – Hens 25
Justin Pierce upped his point total to 17, spearheading a Tribe return to the lead. Jackrabbit David Cohn makes a lightning-handed steal.
Vide: Cohn steals the ball
Act 4 – Channeling Klay Thompson
7:45-3:50: Tribe 38 -Hens 29
Justin Pierce just could not miss, rising to a 23-point total and until, for a second, he forgot he was still Justin Pierce and not Klay Thompson.
Video: Pierce’s falling-down three-pointer
Act 5 – Another Great Shooter Named Allen
3:50 – 0:00 /Tribe 47 – Hens 39
Delaware’s Ryan Allen finished with 25 points. His talents kept Delaware in the ball game.
Video: Ryan Allen works for a three.
Second Half – Act 6 – Trading Places
20:00 – 14:54 / Tribe 59 – Hens 43
Injuries made Delaware. with a very shallow bench. become fatigued early. It also allowed the Tribe to try out a number of plays, including this one where forward Nathan Knight, an “inside guy,” take a three-point shot.
Video: Knight for three
Act 7 – Rowley Gets into the Act
14:54 – 11:39: Tribe 64 – Hens 45
Connor Burchfield attracts defenders (see below), which is why Paul Rowley got a wide open three to open up the gap between the Hens and the Tribe.
Video: Rowley’s three
Act 8 – The Best Three-Point Shooter in College Basketball
11:39 – 8:01 / Tribe 75 – Hens 47
Connor Burchfield is the best three-point shooter in college basketball, seriously. You can read the stat here. You can also see why in this video. Burchfield is an unselfish basketball player who shoots when he can make it, but more often passes for the good of the team. This time he made it.
Video: Watch number 10.
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Act 9 – Comedy or Tragedy
8:01 – 3:53 / Tribe 79 – Hens 56
Some of William & Mary’s very competent subs took to the floor around the 5:00-minute mark of the game. Subs want to please the coach with any minutes they are awarded on the floor. One of the best places to do that is on defense, where the Tribe, when playing its best, can swarm like bees.
Video: Tribe defense get the Turnover
Act 10 – Sometimes It’s Over Before It’s Over
3:53 – 00.0 / Tribe 83 – Hens 66
It’s hard for a team down that many points to play the same as when a chance of the win is still in reach. Even the subs of the losing team are missing that extra spark. Not the case, however, for the winning team.
Video: Tribe steal and battle for a final basket
An expected victory for the Tribe 83-66, with play expected by the coach. Still, Coach Shaver is quick to say “we’ve got to get better.”
