Tribe Displays Maturity, Growth in Road Win at ODU

Sophomore guard David Schneider scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the second half .

01/05/08 11:55PM

Norfolk, Va. - After a tough early season schedule littered with road games, the William and Mary men’s basketball team displayed its growth and maturity on Saturday night, picking up a wire-to-wire, 70-61, victory at Old Dominion. W&M tallied its first win in Norfolk since the 1998 campaign and its first-ever win at the Ted Constant Center. The College improved to 5-8 overall and 1-2 in the CAA, while the Monarch fell to 7-8 on the season and 2-1 in league action. The Tribe victory also snapped a 13-game home conference winning streak for Old Dominion.

The Tribe’s maturity came out in many forms, but none more valuable than holding a halftime advantage against the Monarchs. Last season, W&M led at the half in both contests against ODU only to see the cushion dissipate in the second stanza. The College took a 28-24 lead into the locker room on Saturday night, but would not be denied this time shooting 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from the floor and knocking down 17 freebies in the second 20 minutes.

Sophomore David Schneider scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the second half to lead all scorers. He was 5-of-7 from the field, including a 4-of-6 clip from 3-point range, to go along with a 10-of-12 effort from the free throw line. He also finished with a team-high three assists compared to just one turnover in 34 minutes of action and a game-high four steals. Senior Laimis Kisielius and sophomore Danny Sumner both finished in double figures for the College at 14 an 11 points, respectively. Senior Nathan Mann led the W&M charge on the boards with a season-high eight.

After ODU closed the gap to a single bucket with the first field goal of the second-half, Schneider started to take the game over. Coming off arguably his worst game in a W&M jersey, going 0-7 from the field and 0-6 from 3-point range against Delaware, the Phoenix, Ariz., native drilled back-to-back trifectas to extend the Tribe’s lead to 34-26 just over two minutes into the second half.

W&M’s advantage reached double digits, 38-28, for the first time on Schneider’s third trey four minutes into the second half. The sophomore dynamo continued to roll scoring 11 of the Tribe’s first 12 points of the second half, as his free-throw line jumper gave the College a 40-28 lead at the 15:31 mark

ODU, which was 6-1 at home on the year entering the contest, including a victory over ACC foe Virginia Tech, closed the gap to six, 41-35, scoring seven of the game’s next eight points. Freshman Brian Finney scored four straight points on the run, before junior Jonathan Adams knocked down a trio of free throws.

The College responded lifting its lead to 11 as it canned back-to-back 3-pointers. The dagger of the spurt came on a 30-foot bank shot from Mann. After the ball got knocked into the backcourt, Mann retreated to regain possession. With the shot clock running down, the Overland Park, Kan., native hoisted a deep shot that kissed off the glass and gave the Tribe a 44-35 lead. Schneider added his fourth trey of the second half to extend the lead to 47-36 at the 9:28 mark.

The Monarchs again closed the gap to six, 47-41, but W&M answered to extend the lead back to 11, 52-41, with 5:31 remaining. Schneider knocked down a trio of free throws on the five-point W&M run, before Sumner capped the spurt with a backdoor lay-up.

Old Dominion could get no closer than five points the rest of the way. Adams connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to close the gap to 58-53 with 2:57 remaining, but the College hit its free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Over the final 3:15 of the contest, the Tribe was 12-of-16 from the charity stripe and finished the game 22-of-30 (73.3 percent) from the free throw line. The free throws made and attempted were both season-highs for the College.

For the game, W&M shot 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the floor and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from beyond the 3-point arc. The Tribe ratcheted up the defense holding ODU to 36.2 percent (21-of-58) and only 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from downtown. It marked the first time since December of 2005 that the Tribe has connected on 50 percent or better from 3-point range.

W&M jumped out to an 8-0 advantage, knocking down its first three shots. Sumner and Kisielius led the charge early scoring five points apiece for the Tribe’s first 10 on the scoreboard. Sumner knocked down a jumper from the left side as the shot clock expired on the Tribe’s first possession, before both players dialed up long distance to extend the advantage. Kisielius’ jumper in the lane gave W&M a 10-1 lead at the 15:35 mark.

ODU clawed its way back to within three points at 10-7 knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Gerald Lee started the run with his first 3-pointer of the season from the right wing, before senior Abdi Lidonde connected on his only trey of the contest at the 13:01 mark.

Sophomore Steven Hess scored four straight points for the Tribe to give W&M a 14-9 lead, before ODU pulled even for the first and only time in the game. Freshman Darius James hit a three before a driving floater in the lane by senior Brandon Johnson tied the game at 14 at the 9:43 mark.

Mann canned his first 3-pointer of the game from the right wing as the College regained a lead it would never relinquish at 17-14 with 8:32 left in the first half. The W&M lead reach six, 28-22, following a conventional, double-clutching 3-point play from Sumner with two minutes remaining in the opening half. A Johnson jumper at the 1:31 mark capped the scoring as W&M took a 28-24 cushion to the locker room.

W&M will return to action when it hosts James Madison on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at Kaplan Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. It can also be heard live over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com.

Box Score