News and Notes
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with Georgia State at
7-6, but the Panthers have won each of the last three meetings. Six of the last
nine contests between the teams have been decided by four or fewer points.
- Head coach
Tony Shaver became W&M's all-time wins
leader with his 114th at Old Dominion on Saturday.
- W&M and Georgia State are the only teams in the CAA
with two players among the top 10 in scoring and three among the top 15.
- Over the last three games, W&M is shooting 86.4
percent (51-of-59) from the free throw line. The Tribe is averaging 17 made
freebies per game over the stretch and has shot better than 80 percent in each
contest.
- The Tribe produced three games of 10 or more 3-pointers in
its last four contests and is averaging 10.8 triples per game over the stretch.
- Sophomore
Marcus Thornton and junior
Brandon Britt are
averaging a combined 42.7 points per game over the last three contests.
Thornton is scoring at a 23.3 points per game clip, while Britt is at 19.3
points per game.
Scouting Georgia
State
Winners of its last two, Georgia State enters the contest
with the Tribe at 14-14 overall and 9-6 in CAA play. After only winning one
non-conference road game, the Panthers have won four away from home in league
play, including a 78-60 win at George Mason in its most recent outing on
Saturday.
GSU ranks among the league leaders in both scoring offense
and scoring defense. The Panthers are fourth averaging 67.9 points per game,
while allowing 66 per contest, which is also fourth in the league. GSU has been
even better in league play, averaging 71.1 points per game, while allowing
65.6. Georgia State is among the top 3-point shooting teams in the CAA, ranking
second in both 3-pointers per game (7.1) and 3-point percentage (36.7). The
Panthers are also second in the CAA in steals per game (7.7) and turnover
margin (+2.1).
Freshman R.J. Hunter is Georgia State's top scorer at 17.4
per game, which ranks third in the CAA. He has been on a tear in CAA play,
pouring in 19.1 points per game. Hunter ranks among the top 10 in the league in
free throw, field goal and 3-point percentage. He is third in the CAA at 2.4
3-pointers per game, while ranking fourth in steals (1.8). Senior Devonta White
also ranks among the top 10 in the CAA in scoring at 14.6 points per game,
while ranking third in the league in assists per game (4.0). Junior Manny
Atkins is third on the team and 11th in the CAA at 14.2 points per game. He is
also 11th in the league and leading GSU in rebounding at 6.4 per contest.
Atkins is second in the CAA in free throw percentage (83.3) and third in
3-point shooting (41.8). Senior center James Vincent leads the CAA at 2.4
blocked shots per game.
W&M holds a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series with
the Panthers, including a 3-2 lead in Williamsburg. The Panthers, though, have
won the last three meetings between the teams, including a 74-58 victory over
the Tribe in Atlanta earlier this season. W&M led by as many as 14 in the
opening half and by five at the intermission, but the Panthers rallied behind
52 percent shooting in the second half to outdistance W&M. When the Tribe
and Panthers have met, it has generally been a close contest as six of the last
nine meetings have been decided by four or fewer points.
Shaver Sets Program
Wins Mark
With a 74-62 victory at Old Dominion, Tribe head coach Tony
Shaver became the program's all-time winningest coach. The W&M head man
picked up his 114th career victory surpassing the previous mark held by Bill
Chambers, who coached in Williamsburg from 1957-66, amassing 113 victories. A
two-time CAA Coach of the Year, Shaver entered the 2012-13 season ranked 25th
nationally among active Division I head coaches in victories. He currently owns
472 career victories in his 26th season roaming the collegiate sidelines.
Thornton's 32-Point
Effort
In the Tribe's win at Old Dominion, sophomore guard Marcus
Thornton scored a career-high 32 points, becoming the 40th player in the
history of W&M basketball to eclipse the 30-point mark. His scoring output
is the second-best in the CAA this season and the fifth-best for a Tribe
sophomore in school history. The 32 points is tied for 32nd on the Tribe's
single-game scoring list. Thornton was 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 11-of-12
from the free throw line, becoming the first Tribe player to eclipse the
30-point mark since
Quinn McDowell scored 35 in the first round of the 2011 CAA
Tournament.
BackCourt Combo
The Tribe backcourt of junior
Brandon Britt and sophomore
Marcus Thornton is one of the best in the Colonial Athletic Association, and
the pair has upped its level recently. Over the last two contests, both Tribe
victories, the duo is averaging 48.5 points per game, up from their usual 32.7
points per game on the year. Thornton, who averages 18.8 points per game, is
scoring at a 28.5 points per game clip over the last two contests, while Britt
has upped his scoring from 13.9 on the year to 20 points per game over the last
two contests. They combined to 47 points and 11 assists in the Tribe's 92-86
victory over UNCW on Feb. 16, before pouring in 50 points, including a
career-high 32 from Thornton, in the victory at Old Dominion. Over the last two
games, Britt and Thornton have combined to shoot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from
the floor, 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from 3-point range and 82.9 percent
(29-of-35) from the free throw line, while accounting for 58.4 percent of the
Tribe scoring output.
Seven from Three
Sophomore guard
Marcus Thornton, who leads the CAA in both
3-pointers made and 3-point percentage, knocked down seven 3-pointers in the
Tribe's 74-62 victory at Old Dominion. It is the fourth-best single game total
in school history. Thornton has connected on six 3-pointers on two occasions
previously in 2012-13, against Hampton and at Towson, giving him three contests
of six or more 3-pointers. It marks the fifth time in program history that a
Tribe player knocked down at least six 3-pointers in three games over a season.
David Schneider knocked six or more 3-pointers on five occasions in 2009-10,
while Greg Burzell pulled the trick on four occasions in 1987-88. Matt Verkey
and Schneider knocked down at least six 3-pointers on three occasions in
1995-96 and 2008-09, respectively.
Hot Shooting
Over the last five games, the Tribe has shot the ball
extremely well from the floor, hitting on 52.5 percent (125-of-238). On three
occasions, the Green and Gold eclipsed the 50-percent mark, including its best
shooting effort since 2006. In the Green and Gold's 92-86 win over UNCW, the
Tribe shot 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the floor, including a 68.4 percent
(13-of-19) clip in the second half. The shooting percentage was the best for
the Tribe since Feb. 4, 2006 when it connected on 63.3 percent (31-of-49) in a
win over Georgia State. W&M also shot 56.8 percent (25-of-44) in the win
over Hofstra on Feb. 2 and followed it by shooting 53.2 percent (25-of-47) at
James Madison on Feb. 6. It marked the first time since the 2010-11 season that
W&M produced back-to-back games of 50 percent or better from the floor.
Increased 3-Point
Production
The Tribe has increased its 3-point production recently,
including a few of the top 3-point performances in school history. Over the
last four games, W&M is hitting 10.8 3-pointers per game, shooting 47.8
percent (43-of-90) over the stretch. In its victory over UNCW on Feb. 13, the
Tribe hit 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from 3-point range, which was W&M's
fifth-best 3-point percentage in school history. It was the best percentage
from long range since shooting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) against James Madison on
Jan. 30, 2008. On Feb. 6, the Tribe hit 14 3-pointers at JMU, marking the
fifth-best single-game total in school history. The Green and Gold connected on
51.9 percent (14-of-27) from long range against the Dukes. In its win at Old Dominion,
W&M hit 10 3-pointers, giving the Tribe three contests of double-digits
threes over the last four games. The Tribe currently leads the CAA in
3-pointers made per game (7.2) and ranks third in 3-point field goal percentage
(35.8).
