Tribe Meets Old Dominion in CAA Quarterfinals

The W&M-ODU game will be televised on CN8 and webstreamed on the Internet at CN8.tv.

03/07/08 11:00PM

Richmond, Va. - With its come-from-behind opening round victory over No. 12 seed Georgia State, the William and Mary men’s basketball team will face No. 4 seed Old Dominion in the CAA Quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. The tilt will be the rubber match between the two schools as each won on the other’s home floor during the regular season. The Tribe tallied a 70-61 win over Old Dominion in Norfolk on Jan. 5, while the Monarchs returned the favor with a 72-59 in Williamsburg on Jan. 26.

The Tribe-Monarch contest will be televised on CN8 and broadcast regionally on WSKY Channel 4. The broadcast will be available on the Web at CN8.tv. Fans can follow the action on the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. The broadcast can also be heard live over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com. The entire CAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be broadcast nationally on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 119, and in Richmond on ESPN Radio 950 AM. Live statistics for the event will also be available at CAASports.com.

Numbers in the W&M-Old Dominion Quarterfinal
- The Tribe will look for its first win over the Monarchs in the CAA Tournament. ODU has won the previous five meetings in the league tournament.

- The No. 4 seed is 13-9 all-time against the No. 5 seed, but the No. 5 seed has won two of the last three contests.

- W&M is looking to advance to the semifinals of the CAA Championship for the third time. W&M earned a spot in the semifinals in 1998 and 1997.

- The Tribe will attempt to win two games at the CAA Championship for the first time.

Win No. 15
With its win over Georgia State, the Tribe won its 15th game for the second straight season. It is only the third time in the last 20 years that the College has won 15 games in a season. The 2007-08 version of Tribe basketball became one of only 22 teams in school history to win 15 games in a season. Only 12 teams in school history have won 16 games, while five have won more than 16 contests.

The Tribe also won 15 games a season ago, marking the 10th time in school history that W&M has posted back-to-back seasons of 15-plus victories. The back-to-back 15-win campaigns over the last two years is the first time in 25 years (1981-82 and 1982-83) that the Tribe has accomplished the feat.

Winning in the CAA Tournament
For only the fourth time in the Tribe’s 23-year history in the CAA, W&M tallied a victory in tournament play. The comeback victory over Georgia State was the Tribe’s second under reigning CAA Coach of the Year Tony Shaver. W&M tallied an opening round win over James Madison in 2005. Shaver is the only W&M head coach to lead W&M to two wins at the CAA Tournament. The Tribe also tallied wins in CAA Tournament play in 1988 and 1997.

Sophomore Tandem Leads Tribe into CAA Quarterfinals
Sophomores David Schneider and Danny Sumner accounted for 37 of the Tribe’s 58 points (63.7 percent) in its victory over Georgia State. Schneider finished with a game-high 20 points, while Sumner was not far behind with 17. The duo was vital to the Tribe’s success in the second half. Schneider and Sumner scored 15 of the College’s final 20 points, while shooting 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the field in the second half.


Schneider Clutch Down the Stretch
Sophomore guard David Schneider not only hit the game-winning 3-pointer for W&M with 1.5 seconds remaining, but he was valuable down the stretch for the College. He scored the Tribe’s final eight points over the last 46 seconds to help W&M erase a 54-48 six-point deficit with 1:25 remaining.

The 20 points for Schneider were a game-high and the second highest total of his Tribe career. He scored a career-high 24 points, including 22 in the second half, to propel W&M to a 70-61 win at Old Dominion on Jan. 5.

Deja Vu
The shoe was on the other foot this season as the Tribe’s 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining knocked off Georgia State and sent the College into the quarterfinals. In 2007, Leonard Mendez knocked down a 35-foot shot at the buzzer to give Georgia State a 70-68 win over the Tribe in the opening round of the CAA Tournament. It was W&M’s turn this season as sophomore guard David Schneider came off a Peter Stein screen, before drilling a three from the top of the key to give W&M a 58-57 win.

Comeback Wins
W&M rallied from a nine-point first-half deficit in its win over Georgia State. It marked the fifth time the Tribe overcame a deficit of nine or more this season. The Green and Gold also erased a six-point deficit over the final 1:25 in tallying the opening-round win over Georgia State. Sophomore David Schneider’s 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining gave the Tribe the win.

In each of the Tribe’s CAA victories over James Madison, at Georgia State, against Northeastern and UNC Wilmington, the College rallied from double-digit deficits on its way to victory. The Tribe trailed JMU by 11 on Jan. 9, Georgia State by 16 on Jan. 12, Northeastern by 12 on Jan. 16 and UNCW by 10 on Feb. 2, before rallying to pick up wins.

Winning It Close
The Tribe’s win over Georgia State in the opening round was its seventh victory by four or fewer points this season. W&M has won two games by a single point, two by two points, two by three points and one by four points. It is another impressive sign of the steps the program has taken. In the College opening four seasons under head coach Tony Shaver, the Tribe won only six games by four or fewer points.

Sumner Continues to Impress
Sophomore Danny Sumner has been a valuable community for the Tribe since joining the Green and Gold starting lineup 17 games ago. In fact over the last 22 games, Sumner is the Tribe’s leading scorer at 11 points per game and has tallied double digits in 15 of those contests. In games in which he starts, Sumner is averaging 11.7 points per game.

Sumner has tallied 18 double-digit games this season, which leads the Tribe. He has scored over 15 points in a contest on five occasions, including 17 in the Tribe’s victory over Georgia State in the opening round.

While it is an obvious statement, Sumner’s offensive numbers get better the more he shoots the ball and the Tribe’s chances of winning increase as well. When the Tribe sophomore attempts eight or more shots in a game, the Tribe is 10-6 on the year. While he is averaging 10.1 points per game overall, Sumner’s numbers jump to 14.1 points per game, while shooting 53.9 percent from the field when he attempts eight or more shots in a game.

Schneider’s Longballs
In the victory over Georgia State, sophomore David Schneider hit a career-high six 3-point field goals. The six three-pointers are the seventh most in school history and the second time this season a Tribe player has knocked down six from long range. Senior Nathan Mann also accomplished the feat at Drexel on Jan. 23.

Schneider is the seventh player in school history to hit six threes in a game. It is the second-highest number of 3-pointers by a W&M player in CAA Tournament play. Greg Burzell holds the Tribe record with seven against George Mason on March 6, 1988. Schneider’s six 3-pointers brought his single-season total to 58, which is the seventh-best total in school history. It is also the second-most treys for a sophomore in school history. The game-winning longball was also Schneider’s 100th career 3-pointer.

CAA Record for 3-Pointers Attempted Falls
W&M broke the CAA record for 3-pointers attempted in a season. The Tribe has attempted 682 3-pointers on the season, bettering the old record of 681 set by Northeastern in 2005-06. Ironically enough, the record breaker was sophomore David Schneider game-winning trey against Georgia State in the Tribe’s CAA Opening Round win.

Closing in on the CAA Top-Five in Treys Made
The Tribe is closing in on a spot in the CAA all-time top-five for 3-pointers made in a season. W&M has knocked down 231 3-pointers through its opening 30 games this season. Nine more longballs will move W&M into a tie for fifth with Northeastern (2006-07). Hofstra holds the record with 256 in 2006-07, while VCU (2006-07) is second with 244 and VCU (1998-99) and Richmond (1997-98) are tied for third at 241.

Getting to the Foul Line
The Tribe’s ability to get to the free throw line has been a key ingredient in the Tribe’s winning recipe this season. In its win over Georgia State, W&M outscored the Panthers, 16-8, at the line, while the College had 20 more attempts (29-9) from the foul line. The Green and Gold is 12-1 this season when connecting on more free throws than its opponent.

The Tribe is 9-2 this season when shooting 20 or more free throws in a game and 24-11 over the last three seasons when pulling the trick. It is just as important for the Tribe to connect on its free throw opportunities. W&M is 9-1 this season when making more than 15 free throws in a game. Over the last two seasons, the College has posted a 15-5 mark when connecting on 15 or more free throws.

Taking Care of the Basketball
W&M only turned the ball over nine times in the victory over Georgia State. It has been a growing trend of the Tribe’s ability to maximize possessions and protect the ball over the last 10 games. Over that stretch, W&M is averaging only 10.3 turnovers per game. It was the sixth time this season that W&M has turned the ball over fewer than 10 times in a game.

Over the last 10 games, the Tribe has an impressive turnover margin of +3.4. The success of limiting its own turnovers, while forcing its opponent into miscues has led to the Tribe having a positive turnover margin on the year at +0.73. A telling stat between Tribe victories and losses is turnover margin. In W&M wins, the Tribe has a turnover margin of +2.3 compared to a -0.8 in losses.


Seeing Major Minutes
With his 38 minutes played in the victory over Georgia State, sophomore guard David Schneider moved into second on the W&M single-season minutes played list. He has played 1,032 minute this season and is averaging 34.4 minutes per contest. The Phoenix, Ariz., native is only one minute shy of tying the W&M record of 1,033 minutes set by Scott Coval in 1986. Schneider’s minutes per game rank 14th in W&M history.

Senior guard Nathan Mann moved into 14th on the Tribe’s single-season minutes played list with 932 and his career total of 3,062 ranks fourth in the program’s annals. Fellow classmate Laimis Kisielius joined Mann in the Tribe’s 3,000 career minute club against Georgia State. Only six players in W&M history have played more than 3,000 minutes, including Mann and Kisielius. Kisielius has played 3,009 minutes during his career. The duo also ranks second and third in career games played for the Tribe at 117 and 114, respectively.

Defensive Pressure
Over the Tribe’s last three games, W&M has really stepped up the defensive pressure. The College is holding its opponents to just 57 points per game. The Green and Gold’s 58-57 win over Georgia State marked the 12th time this season W&M has limited its opponent to under 60 points. The College is 8-4 in those contests.