WILLIAMSBURG — Behind hot shooting from 3-point range led by junior Kilian Brockhoff, William & Mary men’s basketball surged to its third-straight win, 89-82, over visiting Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.
The Tribe (14-6, 5-3 CAA) connected on 18 3-pointers, including 10 in the second half, and recorded 23 assists compared to just five turnovers, it lowest total of the season, in the victory. The 18 3-pointers are not only a season-high but the third-highest total in school history.
Brockhoff led the offensive charge with a career-high total of 28 points, including eight 3-pointers. His eight triples are tied for the third-most by a Tribe player in school history. Junior Reese Miller contributed all 17 of his points in the second, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc. Senior Chase Lowe just missed a double-double, totaling a season-high 11 rebounds and adding eight points.
W&M broke open a five-point halftime advantage with some sizzling shooting from distance to open the final 20 minutes. The Tribe hit 7-of-9 from 3-point range over the opening 4:46 of the second half. Brockhoff hit three of his eight triples during the stretch and Ryan Jackson, Jr.’s fast-break lay-up off a dish from Jhei-R Jones stretch advantage to its largest at 67-60 with 13:27 left.
The Tribe lead remained double digits throughout the majority of the second half. The margin was 13, 84-71, following a Miller 3-pointer at the 5:39 mark.
Hofstra (13-8, 4-4 CAA) battled back behind eight-straight points. Preson Edmead and Joshua Reaves bookended the run with 3-pointers, closing the visitor within five, 84-79, with 4:28 remaining.
Lowe answered almost immediately with the fast-break layup just 12 seconds later to push the lead to its final margin. W&M held on for the victory behind its defense as Hofstra missed five of final six shots.
The Tribe capitalized on its perimeter shooting in the second half, converting 10-of-20 from beyond the arc. W&M shot 53.1% from the field in the final 20 minutes on the way to shooting 42.3% (30-of-71) overall. The Green and Gold connected at a 40.9% clip from 3-point range and hit 11-of-13 (84.6%) at the free throw line.
Jones facilitated the offense with a season-high five assists and added eight points, hitting 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Vahlberg Fasasi bolstered the defense with two blocks and totaled a career-high tying seven rebounds. Jackson, Jr. scored nine points off the bench, while Pulliam finished with eight.
Hofstra scored the game’s first seven points, including the final five from Edmead, over the game’s first three minutes. The first Tribe bucket did not come until the 16:12 mark, but it was fitting the first of the Tribe’s 18 3-pointers from the corner by Jackson, Jr.
W&M pulled even at 23 on a pair of Cade Haskins free throws and took its first lead with six-straight points thanks to buckets from Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi and Lowe to go with two Kyle Pulliam free throws that gave W&M a 29-25 lead.
The Tribe lead reach seven, 37-30, on a Brockhoff 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining in the opening half. Hofstra briefly pulled even by scoring seven in a row, but W&M scored the half’s final five to take a 42-37 lead into the locker room.
Defensively, W&M limited Hofstra to 40.6% shooting (28-of-69), but the Pride was 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3-point range. Hofstra held a slim, 42-41, advantage on the glass. The Tribe held the CAA’s leading scorer Cruz Davis to just 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting. He entered the game ranked sixth in the country at 22.4 points per game.
Edmead led Hofstra with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and contributed two assists. Biggie Patterson added 16 points, making three shots from beyond the arc and grabbing three rebounds. Joshua DeCady contributed 12 points and recorded two steals, along with six rebounds. Victory Onuetu was strong on the boards with 13 total rebounds, adding eight points and one block.
Up Next
The Tribe hits the road next week, traveling to Elon on Thursday for a 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloCollege. Fans can listen to the broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley on the call. The broadcast will be available on The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg, the flagship station of the Tribe Sports Network.
