William & Mary found its stroke at the right time Saturday, hitting 14 threes on 44 percent from deep, and rode that hot shooting to a 73-51 win over Elon in the second round of the CAA Tournament. The Tribe led 34-27 at the half and Elon kept within striking distance before W&M outscored the Phoenix 29-14 from the 15:10 mark through the final horn. Miguel Ayesa led all Tribe scorers with 23 points, and Tyler Rice and Matteus Case each added 11.
Here are five things to know, as the Tribe advances to the CAA quarterfinals:
W&M let it fly from deep
The Tribe’s 32 attempts from three-point range were its most so far this season. The increase in attempts did not seem to have any affect on efficiency, as W&M’s 14 made threes were the most in Tribe postseason history. (Second place? You might remember that game.)
And the beneficiary of W&M’s increased emphasis on the three-ball was exactly who you would have expected: Miguel Ayesa. The Spaniard, who had hit five three-pointers in each of the final two regular-season games, stayed hot, with four first-half triples and seven on the game. Ayesa’s seven jumpers from downtown also staked its claim as tops in W&M CAA Tournament history.
Postgame, head coach Dane Fischer made it clear that some of the assault from behind the arc was a result of Elon’s zone defense. But the Tribe has some guys that can knock it down from deep, and it will continue to be an important part of W&M’s offense if they can pull an upset over the Pride on Sunday.
Ben Wight doing Ben Wight things
Ben Wight didn’t “dominate” this game, and not the type of player to take over a game offensively, or defensively for that matter. But in his usual way, Wight’s hustle and energy had an undeniable impact on the contest, from his nine first half boards (he finished with 13) to finding teammates for buckets on his four assists.
In fact, Wight helped nail down the game for the Tribe with back-to-back buckets down the stretch. The second of those, Wight secured an offensive rebound before powering up for the putback. Wight only finished with eight points, but he contributed on both ends of the floor.
No late-game lull
W&M has been notorious this season for second-half scoring droughts at the exact wrong time. These issues mostly subsided down the stretch of the regular season, but you never know what the early game on Saturday of the conference tournament will bring.
With 15:10 left in the second half, the Tribe did see a three-minute, 21-second drought. But before it could grow further, a Tyler Rice three on the fastbreak gave W&M offensive life. Rice would contribute nine points in a six-minute run, ensuring there would be no offensive slowdown.
Veteran squad shows its experience
This year’s Tribe was mostly put together this past offseason, without a ton of continuity. While some may have looked at that as a negative – and it definitely showed at times, especially early in the year – the flipside is that Fischer was able to add veterans such as Anders Nelson and Chris Mullins for this time of year. Against Elon, W&M’s veterans showed why experience in March is so valuable.
Nelson may not have shot well today, but he had a great floor game, directing the Tribe offense against the Elon zone while picking up five assists without a turnover. Meanwhile, Mullins also put together a solid game without much scoring impact – adding another five assists to a typically solid defensive performance against CAA Freshman of the Year Max Mackinnon. Mackinnon was limited to just two points in the game.
Here comes Hofstra
With the win, W&M moves onto the CAA quarterfinals, where it will face the top-seeded Hofstra Pride at noon Sunday. In their only meeting this season, the Pride defeated the Tribe 75-62 in a game that was close through about 25 minutes. Look for Hofstra to speed up the tempo and attempt to get out in transition with back-to-back CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada leading the way. The Tribe’s last matchup with Hofstra in the conference tournament was a 70-67 loss at the hands of the Pride in 2016, but we prefer to remember the previous year’s classic.