It was already setting up to be an emotionally cathartic game for William & Mary on Monday night. It was a standalone CAA game on national television against one of the top-tier CAA contenders in the Charleston Cougars, and with a fantastic crowd to boot. But after the Tribe lost Noah Collier to an apparent lower-leg injury just five minutes into the contest, the emotions shifted and possibly deepened.
But what could have turned into a soul-crushing loss — insult on top of injury — instead became one of the most spirits-lifting victories W&M has had in quite some time, as the Tribe (14-9, 8-2 CAA) beat Charleston (17-6, 7-3 CAA) 90-75.
“We’re proud of the win today, but we’re proud of the effort too,” said William & Mary head coach Brian Earl after the contest. “We had Noah go down, and he was playing well, and you weren’t sure where it was going to go from there. But I thought all the guys gathered together to make sure that we at least gave a great effort.”
Collier’s loss obviously posed a problem for the Tribe’s interior defense. But the senior was also operating at peak capacity offensively. Up until his exit at the 12:32 mark of the first half, Collier had 10 of the Tribe’s 13 points, including a pair of triples.
And Collier’s issue didn’t immediately lead to his leaving the game: after suffering the non-contact injury, Collier was forced to hop around on one foot playing defense. But once play was stopped, the air left Kaplan Arena.
“When he went out, I think we were a little shaken with how we were going to be able to manage the rest of the game,” Earl said.
For a while, it seemed like that would be that. The Tribe’s shooting woes continued as Charleston pounded W&M in the post, taking advantage of Collier’s absence. After a CJ Fulton three-pointer, the Cougars extended their lead to 31-22 at the 7:04 mark, their largest of the night.
But then a funny thing happened — the Tribe refused to fold.
Instead, W&M’s gritty defense found ways to crowd Charleston’s bigs and close out on shooters. And the three-pointers started to fall. A 13-1 run, punctuated by a Gabe Dorsey triple, gave the Tribe a 35-32 lead. The Kaplan crowd exploded, a moment of catharsis the green-and-gold faithful hasn’t had in a long, long time.
“Going on runs like that always feels great, and we feed off the energy from the crowd for sure,” said freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng, who finished with 12 points and four assists. “Going out and executing in those moments is always a great feeling.”
The first 10 minutes of the second half was a back-and-forth affair, with the Tribe leading by as much as nine at the 11:59 mark, while Charleston cut it to four with 9:57 to play. But the Tribe broke it open yet again with the three-ball. Treys by Keller Boothby and Kyle Pulliam on back-to-back possessions, plus an Mbeng layup, pushed the W&M advantage to 12. The Cougars wouldn’t get closer than eight for the rest of the night.
Despite foul trouble for the Tribe’s bigs — freshman Finn Lally fouled out after a valiant defensive performance, while both Malachi Ndur and Caleb Dorsey finished with four personals — the team kept a comfortable lead the rest of the night. Mbeng had all 12 of his points in the second half, while Dorsey had eight of his 11 in the final stanza.
“It’s good to be prepared for everything in practice,” said Pulliam, who led W&M with 18 points on the evening. “Nothing changes, it’s all the same throughout the game.
Chase Lowe returned from a four-game absence and keyed the Tribe’s defense. While on a minutes restriction, Lowe stuffed the stat sheet with six points, nine boards and five assists, while not turning the ball over once. In fact, W&M only turned the ball over five times, compared to 27 assists on 33 made baskets. The Tribe shot 50 percent from the field, including 37.8 percent from three.
“[Chase] is able to score in different ways, and he adds a presence on defense,” said Earl. “He was out there for big moments.”
Thursday, the Tribe starts a weekend road trip at Drexel, followed by a visit to the Blue Hens of Delaware on Saturday. Its next matchup at Kaplan Arena is 10 days away, when Hofstra visits Williamsburg. But if tonight is any indication, the Pride will have to deal with a rowdy home crowd ready for another cathartic win.