Men's Hoops Hosts Montreat on Saturday

The Tribe will play its second straight home game against the Cavaliers on Saturday, Dec. 22, at 2 p.m.

12/21/07 6:00PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s basketball team will play its final contest before the Christmas holiday when it welcomes Montreat College to Williamsburg on Dec. 22. The Saturday afternoon tip is slated for 2 p.m. and will be the Tribe’s second straight contest at the friendly confines of Kaplan Arena.

The Tribe is coming off an 83-72 defeat to instate foe VMI two days earlier on Dec. 20. W&M shot a season-high 49 percent from the floor, but could not overcome the pressure of the Keydets. Sophomore David Schneider led the way for W&M with 16 points, while junior Peter Stein added 10. Montreat has won three straight games entering the contest with the Tribe, but have had two weeks off since dispatching of Covenant College, 66-63, on Dec. 8.

The game can be heard live over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. The game will also be available live over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com. Live statistics for the contest will be provided by the William and Mary Athletics Web site as well.

For complete, W&M men's basketball notes, click HERE.

Story lines
- Both teams enter the game averaging nearly 8.5 3-point field goals made per game.

W&M director of basketball operations Jamie Smith will see some familiar faces on the opposing sideline after spending last season as an assistant coach for Montreat.

Scouting Montreat
Montreat College enters the game with W&M at 5-6 on the season and 3-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Cavaliers are an NAIA Division II school located in Montreat, N.C., which is in the western part of the state near the North Carolina and Tennessee border. The Cavaliers have won three straight contests, but have had two weeks off prior to playing the Tribe.

Most recently, Montreat downed Covenant College, 66-63, on the road. Thomas Nicholson led the way for the Cavaliers with a double-double on 17 points and 10 rebounds. Matthew Njoku add 16 points in the victory as Montreat improved to 3-1 in AAC play.

Currently, Montreat ranks among the NAIA Division II leaders in turnover margin, 3-point field goals made per game, assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-point field goal percentage. The Cavaliers own a 3.91 turnover margin, which ranks 21st in NAIA Division II. Montreat ranks 23rd in 3-point field goals made per game (8.5), 45th in assist-to-turnover ration (1.0) and 50th in 3-point field goal percentage (.369).

Aaron Collazo and Thomas Nicholson lead the Cavaliers in scoring at 14 points apiece. Collazo is the Montreat’s most dangerous long range 3-point threat. He is shooting 41.3 percent (31-of-75) from 3-point range, while ranking 27th in NAIA Division II in 3-point field goals made per game at 2.8. Nicholson is the Cavaliers top rebounder at six per contest. Kinard Barnett and Matthew Njoku also average in double figures for the Cavaliers at 12.5 and 11.6 points per game. Njoku leads the team in field goal percentage at 58.3 percent, while Barnett averages 5.2 rebounds per contest.

Montreat Connections
The Tribe has a recent connection with its Dec. 22 foe, Montreat College. W&M director of basketball operations Jamie Smith, who joined the Tribe prior to the start of the 2007-08 season, spent last season as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers. Montreat was 19-13 overall and won the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season crown with a 14-4 mark is Smith’s lone season with the program. The Cavaliers were also ranked as high as No. 11 in the NAIA National Rankings.

Home Sweet Home
W&M made its welcomed return to Williamsburg and Kaplan Arena on Dec. 20 against VMI. The College will see a welcomed sight in the friendly confines of home after spending six of the first seven games on the road this season. Including its most recent game against VMI, the Tribe’s schedule will be a stark contrast to that as W&M will play four of its next five at home and 10 of its next 15 overall in Williamsburg. Last season, the Tribe enjoyed great success at Kaplan Arena amassing an 11-5 overall mark.

Stepping up the Defensive Pressure
The Tribe limited North Florida to 27.9 percent shooting from the floor on 12 of 43 shooting from the floor. It was the lowest field goal percentage that W&M had held an opponent to in three seasons. The last time a W&M opponent shot worse from the field, Towson was 27 percent (17-of-63) on Feb. 26, 2005.

W&M limited the Ospreys to only 12 field goals, which was the fewest for a Tribe opponent in 27 seasons. The last time a W&M foe made fewer than 12 field goals in a game, Catholic hit for 11 field goals in a 36-29 loss on Jan. 19, 1981.

On the Boards
After being outrebounded in each of its first three games this season, the College has turned the tables and held the rebounding advantage in each of its last five contests against Houston Baptist, Richmond, VCU, North Florida and VMI. Over the five-game stretch, the Tribe has outrebounded its opponents by more than six boards per game. W&M has averaged 36.8 rebounds per game, compared to just 30.6 for its opponents.

The rebounding for W&M has been a collective effort for most of the season. Over the seven games in 2007, six different Tribe players have led the College in rebounding. Sophomores David Schneider and Danny Sumner along with junior Peter Stein and senior Nathan Mann have led the way, topping the Green and Gold on the boards in two games each. Six different W&M players are averaging over three rebounds a game this year, while over the last four games, eight different Tribe players have averaged at least three boards per contest. Schneider and junior forward Chris Darnell lead W&M in rebounding at 4.9 and 4.8 per contest, respectively. Schneider’s total is 18th in the CAA, while Darnell’s is tied for 19th.

Coming on Strong
Junior forward Peter Stein has turned a trio of solid performances recently for the Tribe. The Houston, Texas native is averaging nine points and 4.7 rebounds per contest over the College’s last three games, while shooting a team-best 56.5 percent from the floor. Despite being saddled with foul trouble for most of the Tribe’s contest against VMI, he scored a season-high 10 points on 5-of-8 shooing from the floor against the Keydets. It marked the eighth time in his W&M career that Stein has tallied double digits. Against North Florida on Dec. 7, Stein turned in a season-high seven rebounds against the Ospreys.

Sumner Finding His Way
Sophomore wing Danny Sumner saw limited playing time during his rookie season with the Tribe, but in the early going of the 2007-08 season, the Fairfax, Va., native has shown himself to be an impact player on the Tribe roster. He has progressively become more comfortable in the Tribe offense, while also developing a better understanding of the team’s various defensive alignments. Sumner has appeared in all seven games off the Tribe bench this season and led the W&M reserves in scoring on four occasions. On two different occasions, Sumner has been the Tribe’s overall leading scorer.

Sumner enjoyed a stellar game at Wagner on Nov. 20, scoring a career-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a remarkable 4-of-5 from 3-point range. He followed that performance up with 13 points off the bench in a career-high 25 minutes at VCU on Dec. 5. Against the Rams, Sumner also pulled down a career-high six rebounds, while hitting on 6-of-12 from the floor. The 6-7, 205-pounder continued his early season scoring spree by leading the Tribe with 12 points in the blowout win over North Florida.

This season, Sumner is averaging 7.6 points per game which ranks fourth on the squad. He is the College’s most efficient scorer, while knocking down 54.3 percent of his shots in only 16.8 minutes per game. With his numbers projected over 40 minutes, Sumner leads the Tribe regulars with a 18.2 points per game average. He his also adding 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range.

Spark off the Bench
After playing sparingly in his first three seasons with the College, senior forward Chris Stratton has made his presence felt as a spark off the W&M bench in the early going this season. Stratton is averaging 4.3 points 3.0 rebounds in 12.7 minutes of action this season off the bench.

In the Tribe’s 79-70 win over Houston Baptist, the Burke, Va., native finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action, providing a much-needed spark that allowed the College to overcome an early deficit. The 10 points were a career-best for Stratton and nearly half his previous career total of 24 entering the game.

The 6-6, 225-pounder followed that performance with a game-high seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, at Richmond. Stratton also finished with six points in a career-high 22 minutes against the Spiders.