WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Headlined by a shooting barrage that featured a school-record 20 3-pointers, the William & Mary men's basketball team rolled to a 103-54 win over in-state foe Shenandoah on Tuesday night inside Kaplan Arena. The Green and Gold (2-2) placed six players in double figures and 11 of the 13 that played on the evening found the scoring column.
 
The Tribe jumped out to an early lead using stifling defense to hold the Hornets scoreless for the first 2:39 in the game. In total, W&M limited Shenandoah to 21.4 percent (9-of-42) shooting in the first half, including 1-of-17 from 3-point range (5.9 percent).
 
The Green and Gold scored the game's first six points and 10 of the first 12 to lead from the outset. W&M connected on 11 of its opening 14 attempts from the floor, hitting eight straight at one point, and 5-of-6 from 3-point range in jumping out to a 20-point cushion. Senior Oliver Tot found graduate student Cole Harrison for a lay-up at the 11:26 mark to extend the Green and Gold advantage to 28-8.
 
W&M scored 14-straight points to extend its lead to nearly 30 points. Sophomore Justin Pierce started the run with a fast-break dunk, while sophomores Matt Milon and Nathan Knight added five and four straight points, respectively, during the spurt. Freshman Jihar Williams ended the stretch with a triple from the right side to extend the margin to 42-13 with 3:17 left in the opening half. In total, W&M hit nine first-half 3-pointers capped off by a 30-foot buzzer beater from senior Connor Burchfield to send W&M to the locker room with a 50-20 lead.
 
The second half proved to be no different than the first, as the Tribe went on to hit an additional 11 3-pointers and led by as much as 52 points. Milon, Burchfield, freshman Luke Loewe and sophomore Omar Mostafa canned four-straight triples as part of a 12-0 run in the latter stages of the half, before Williams added the team's school-record 20th 3-pointer at the 5:11 mark to expanded the lead to 50 points, 93-43.
 
Individual Player Spotlights
Sophomore Matt Milon led the way for the Tribe with 17 points, making 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Senior Connor Burchfield added 15 and also made five 3's. Junior Paul Rowley scored 12 points off a quartet of 3-pointers, while sophomore Nathan Knight  added 12 points, seven boards and three blocked shots. Freshman Jihar Williams scored a career-high 11 points, hitting a trio of 3-pointers. Senior guard David Cohn ran the offense tallying 11 assists compared to zero turnovers in just 19 minutes.
 
For Shenandoah, Alan Dabney led the way with eight points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes of play. Avery White also finished with eight points for the Hornets.
 
Inside the Numbers
- The Tribe shot a season-high 54.4 percent (37-of-68) from the field, including 20-of-32 (63 percent) from 3
- Defensively, W&M held Shenandoah to 29.6 percent (21-of-71) from the field and only 4-of-25 (16 percent) from behind the arc.
- The Green and Gold dished out a season-best 27 assists on its 37 made field goals.
- On the glass, the Tribe outrebounded Shenandoah. 50-34. Sophomore Justin Pierce and Nathan Knight topped the Green and Gold with seven rebounds apiece.
 
Notes
The Tribe hit 11 of first 14 shots, including eight straight at one point … The Green and Gold connected on five of its first six from 3-point range … W&M's 20 made 3-pointers are a school record and a Kaplan Arena mark … The Tribe's 62.5 percent (20-of-32) shooting from 3-point range was the fourth-best mark in program history and the best since 2013 … The 27 assists as a team are the eighth-best single-game total in W&M history … Senior David Cohn registered his sixth career double-digit assist game with 11 on the evening compared to zero turnovers … His 11 assists rank fifth for a single-game in program history … Sophomore Omar Mostafa scored a career-high seven points on 2-of-2 from the floor, including a 3-pointer, and 2-of-2 at the free throw line in seven minutes … Freshmen Jihar Williams and Luke Loewe tallied career-highs with 11 and nine points, respectively … Senior Oliver Tot tied a career-high with six assists … Senior walk-ons Tommy Papas and Amir Shafi saw the first action of their Tribe careers … W&M extended it home-court non-conference winning streak to 20 games, the second-longest streak in program history.
 
Up Next
The Tribe continues its three-game homestand, welcoming instate rival Old Dominion to Kaplan Arena as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Nov. 25. The women face Loyola (Md.) before the men host the Monarchs at 7 p.m.
 
The Tribe-Monarch match-up will be broadcast on Cox Communications in Virginia. The game will be available throughout Hampton Roads on Yurview Virginia, Cox's channel 1011, while additional outlets include Fairfax County (1074), Fredericksburg (1077) and Roanoke (1009). The contest will also be available online at Tribe Athletics TV and CAA.TV.