Tribe Advances to Tip-Off Classic Championship

Late 14-2 run keys W&M victory over Jacksonville State.

12/01/06 11:55PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s basketball team used a 14-2 run late in the second half to break open a close battle and held on for a 59-56 victory Friday night over Jacksonville State. With the win, W&M (2-3) advances to face Cornell (4-3) on Saturday night in the championship game of the Tip-Off Classic at 8:30 p.m., while JSU (1-4) will face VMI (3-6) in the consolation game at 6 p.m.

The crucial run was the final of the game’s six lead changes, and came after Jacksonville State’s Dorien Brown made a lay-up in the paint to push the Gamecocks to a 42-40 lead with 8:30 remaining. Right back down the floor went the Tribe, and Laimis Kisielius (Vilnius, Lithuania) hit a driving lay up and added a subsequent free throw for the conventional 3-point play. The points were three of his game-high 20 points to spark the Green and Gold on a run that stretched the lead to 10 points, 54-44, ending with a lay-up from Peter Stein (Houston, Texas) with 5:02 remaining.

The Gamecocks would not go away quietly. With 2:23 left and the Tribe up nine, 57-48, Jacksonville State used a quick 8-0 run to cut the W&M lead to one with 24 seconds left. The Gamecock’s Will Ginn hit two 3-pointers to spur the run, but with 19 seconds left he fouled Kisielius, who hit two free throws to give the Tribe a three point lead at 59-56. Jacksonville State could not convert on its final possession as the Tribe’s Chris Darnell corralled Tracy Thomas’ miss to seal the victory.

Leading scorers for the Tribe were Kisielius with 20 points, including a 9-of-12 effort from the free throw line, to go along with six rebounds and senior guard Adam Payton (Burlington, N.J.) with 18 and 5. Stein tied with Kisielius for the team lead in rebounds with six. Jacksonville State was led by Brown, with 15 points and seven rebounds; and Erik Adams, who chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. W&M held JSU’s leading scorer Courtney Bradley to nine points, 13.5 below his season average. The Tribe once again used the bench scoring to its advantage, out producing the Gamecocks, 27-6, off the bench. W&M also owned the glass, outrebounding JSU, 47-30.

W&M broke open a back-and-forth first half, scoring eight of the final 10 points in the opening 20 minutes. Leading 19-18 following a Jacksonville State jumper, junior guard Nathan Mann (Overland Park, Kan.) knocked down a jumper just inside the 3-point arc to jumpstart the run. Mann then made a steal on the defensive end that led to another Tribe bucket as Payton knocked down a pull-up jumper. Payton pulled down an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and put it back to extend the lead to 25-18 with 2:16 remaining in the first half.

After a Bradley lay up for the Gamecocks, Payton tipped in his own miss with two second remaining to send the Tribe to the locker room with a 27-20 cushion. Coming off the bench in his first game this season, Payton led the Tribe charge in the opening half, scoring a game-high 13 points on 5-of-7 from the field.

The Gamecocks opened the second half, scoring 11 of the first 14 points, to take a 31-30 lead with 14:35 remaining. The teams traded mini-spurts over the next five minutes before the Tribe opened up its 10-point cushion.

In the opening game of the W&M Tip-Off Classic, Cornell defeated VMI in a barnburner, 99-94. The Big Red placed seven guys in double figures, led by 18 points from both Louis Dale and Ryan Wittman. VMI established a trio of Kaplan Arena records in defeat. The Keydets knocked down 19 3-point field goals on 54 attempts, both facility bests. Reggie Williams led the VMI charge with a Kaplan Arena record 41 points to go along with a Tip-Off Classic record 16 rebounds.

W&M vs. Jacksonville State Box Score
Cornell vs. VMI Box Score