Tribe Set to Battle VCU in CAA Semifinals

After a pair of game-winning 3-pointers in the opening two rounds of the CAA Tournament, the Tribe will face the No. 1 seeded Rams at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

03/08/08 11:00PM

Richmond, Va. - On the strength of its second straight last second victory, the William and Mary men’s basketball team will battle the CAA regular season champion and the No. 1 in the league tournament VCU on Sunday, March 9, at 3 p.m. The Rams won both meetings with the Tribe during the regular season, winning in Richmond, 71-57, on Dec. 5 and tallying a 54-43 win over the Tribe a week ago on March 1.

The Tribe-Ram 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 vs. VCU
- W&M will play VCU for the third time in the CAA Tournament. W&M downed VCU in the quarterfinal, 77-63, in 1997, while falling to the Rams, 62-59, in the opening round of the league tournament in 2006.

- The No. 5 seed has never defeated the No. 1 seed in the CAA Semifinals. The No. 1 seed has won the previous nine meetings.

- The Tribe will look for its first ever semifinal win in the CAA Tournament. W&M advanced to the semifinals in 1988 and 1997.

- VCU has won the last 12 meetings between the two teams and is 29-10 overall against W&M.

Winning in League Tournaments
After entering the 2008 CAA Tournament with only three wins in the program’s history in the conference tourney, W&M has won two games in the league championship for the first time in the 23 years of the CAA. It is only the fifth time this season that the Tribe has won two games in the Tribe’s 71-year affiliation with a conference. The Tribe won two games in the Southern Conference Tournament in 1958, 1961, 1965 and 1975. Here is a look at the last time W&M has won two games in a league tournament:

Last time W&M won two post-season games:
1975 Southern Conference
def. Davidson 78-64 (in Williamsburg, Va.)
def. East Carolina 69-66 (Greenville, S.C.)
lost to Furman, 55-66 (Greenville, S.C.)

Last time W&M won two post-season on a neutral court:
1965 Southern Conference - Charlotte, N.C.
def. The Citadel 68-60
def. Virginia Tech 70-59
lost to West Virginia 67-70 (2OT)

Last time W&M won two post-season in Richmond:
1961 Southern Conference - Richmond, Va.
def. Furman 86-84 (3OT)
def. #8 West Virginia 88-76
lost to George Washington 82-93

1958 Southern Conference - Richmond, Va.
def. Virginia Tech 79-61
def. George Washington 57-56
lost to #2 West Virginia 58-74

Numbers in the CAA Tournament
- The Tribe tallied its first win over the Monarchs in the CAA Tournament on Saturday. ODU had won the previous five meetings in the league tournament.

- It marked the 10th time in the history of the CAA Tournament that the No. 5 seed defeated the No. 4 seed. The No. 5 seed has won three of the last four 4-5 games.

- W&M advanced to its third CAA Semifinal with its win over ODU. W&M also earned a spot in the semifinals in 1998 and 1997.

- The Tribe won two games at the CAA Championship for the first time ever and recorded its fifth-ever win at the event with its victory over the Monarchs on March 8.

- Three of the Tribe’s five CAA Tournament wins have come under reigning CAA Coach of the Year Tony Shaver.

Top-Three in Single-Season Treys Made
Following its 10 3-point outburst against Old Dominion, the Tribe moved into the top three in CAA history for 3-pointers made. The 10 against ODU brought the Tribe’s single-season total to 241, which is tied with VCU (1998-99) and Richmond (1997-98) for third in the league’s history. Hofstra holds the record with 256 in 2006-07, while VCU (2006-07) is second with 244.

CAA Record for 3-Pointers Attempted Falls
W&M broke the CAA record for 3-pointers attempted in a season with its 22 attempts against Georgia State on Friday. The Tribe has attempted 706 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.

Updates in the Tribe CAA Tournament Record Book
- The Tribe’s 48.8 percent (21-of-43) from the field against ODU was the third-best field goal percentage for a W&M team in the CAA Tournament.

- The 10 3-pointers made against Old Dominion were the most for a Tribe team in a CAA Tournament contest, while the College’s 24 attempted threes were the second-most in league tournament game for W&M.

- W&M had 16 assists versus ODU, which was the second-most single-game total for the College in the CAA Tournament. Sophomore David Schneider tied the W&M record with seven assists in a CAA Tournament game, while senior Nathan Mann’s six helpers tied for the fourth most for a W&M player.

- The 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from 3-point range by the Tribe against ODU was the fourth-best long-range percentage in a CAA Tourney game for the College. Sophomore Danny Sumner shot 75 percent (3-of-4) from 3-point range against the Monarch, which was the second-best percentage for Tribe player in a CAA Tournament game.

- Sophomore David Schneider’s six 3-pointers and 75 percent (6-of-8) from 3-point range against Georgia State were both the second-best total for a Tribe player in a CAA Tournament game.

Win No. 16
With its pair of wins in the CAA Tournament, the Tribe won its 15th and 16th games of the season. It is only the second time in the last 22 years that the College has won 16 games in a season. W&M also pulled the trick during the 1997-98 season when it went 20-7. The 2007-08 version of Tribe basketball became one of only 13 teams in school history to win 16 games in a season. Only five teams in school history have won more than 16 games in a single season.

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.

The win over Old Dominion also assured the Tribe would finish the season no worse than .500, marking the first time in 23 years that the Tribe has posted back-to-back .500 or better seasons.

Last-Second Heroics
In each of the Tribe’s CAA Tournament victories over Georgia State and Old Dominion, the Tribe came up with late-game heroics. With 1.5 seconds left in the Georgia State game, sophomore David Schneider drilled a 23-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key to send the College to a 58-57 win. A day later it was senior Nathan Mann’s turn as he scored the game-winning trifecta with 7.5 seconds left to defeat the Monarchs, 63-60.

Team Win
While sophomore Danny Sumner and senior Laimis Kisielius led the Tribe with 16 points against ODU and senior Nathan Mann highlighted the victory with a game-winning 3-pointer, the triumph was a total team effort. Kisielius and Mann combined for 26 points and 9-of-16 from the field, while totaling nine assists compared to four turnovers. The sophomore class contributed 27 points as Schneider added nine points and seven assists and bigman Steven Hess added valuable minutes off the bench. The junior duo of Peter Stein and Chris Darnell each pulled down a team-high six rebounds in the victory over the Monarchs.

Defensive Pressure
Over the Tribe’s last four games, W&M has really stepped up the defensive pressure. The College is holding its opponents to just 57.8 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.

In the CAA tournament, the Tribe has limited its first two opponents to 58.5 points per game. Georgia State and Old Dominion have shot only 39.4 percent from the floor and 29.3 percent from 3-point range.

Hot Shooting
After starting the game 0-of-10 from the field and 0-of-7 from 3-point range, W&M found its stroke. Over the remainder of the contest against ODU, the Tribe shot 63.6 (21-of-33) from field and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from 3-point range.

W&M was 14-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half against the Monarchs. The Tribe’s 73.7 percent in the second stanza marked the best field goal shooting percentage in a half for W&M since Feb. 7, 2007 when the Green and Gold hit 76.2 percent against James Madison.

Familiar Foe
2008 CAA Coach of the Year Tony Shaver will see a familiar face on the opposing sidelines when the Tribe meets VCU in the CAA Semifinals. Austin Shaver, one of Tony’s three sons, is a graduate assistant for the Ram program. He is earning a graduate degree in sports leadership from VCU.

Shooting the Longball
W&M drilled 10 3-pointers in its quarterfinal victory over Old Dominion. It marked the ninth time this season that W&M has connected on double-digit 3-pointers. The 10 treys brought W&M singles season total to 241, which ranks third in CAA history and is the best mark in W&M school history. The nine double-digit 3-point shooting efforts are also a W&M school record.

Shaking off the Slump
Marred in one of the worst slumps of his basketball career, senior guard Nathan Mann shook off a string of 17-straight missed 3-pointers to convert each of his final two in the win over Old Dominion, including the game-winner with 7.5 seconds remaining. Over the three games prior to its victory over ODU, Mann was only 2-of-28 from 3-point range and started the game against the Monarchs 0-4. He hit a trey at the 6:55 mark to extend the Tribe lead to 53-47, before knocking down the game-winner.

Mann has hit 72 3-pointers this season and 214 in his career. Those numbers both rank second in program history. Greg Burzell holds the single-season mark at 75, while Matt Verkey is the Tribe’s all-time career leader at 218.

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.

Schneider also came up with a huge shot against Old Dominion on Saturday. After ODU took its first and only lead of the second half, 58-57, with 1:41 remaining, Schneider came down a drilled his third 3-pointer from the top of the key as the College retook a 60-58 lead with 1:11 left. He finished with nine points and seven assists against ODU.

Comeback Wins
W&M rallied from a pair of first-half deficits to winning each of its first two CAA Tournament games. W&M overcame a nine-point first-half deficit in its win over Georgia State in the opening round, while the College rallied from a seven-point deficit in the quarterfinal win over Old Dominion. It marked the sixth and seventh time the Tribe overcame a deficit of seven 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. The College trailed by seven points, eight minutes into the contest with ODU.

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 wins over Georgia State and Old Dominion in the CAA Tournament were its seventh and eighth victory by four or fewer points this season. W&M has won two games by a single point, two by two points, three 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.

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.

Sumner Continues to Impress
Sophomore Danny Sumner has been a valuable community for the Tribe since joining the Green and Gold starting lineup 18 games ago. In fact over the last 23 games, Sumner is the Tribe’s leading scorer at 11.2 points per game and has tallied double digits in 16 of those contests. In games in which he starts, Sumner is averaging 11.9 points per game and the Tribe is 13-7 in those contests.

Sumner has tallied 19 double-digit games this season, which leads the Tribe. He has scored over 15 points in a contest on six occasions, including each of the last two games of the CAA Tournament. In the opening round against Georgia State, Sumner tallied 17 points, while he scored 16 points in the quarterfinal win over Old Dominion.

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 11-6 on the year. While he is averaging 10.3 points per game overall, Sumner’s numbers jump to 14.2 points per game, while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range when he attempts eight or more shots in a game.

Schneider From 3-Point Range
Sophomore David Schneider followed up his career-high six 3-pointers against Georgia State with a trio of treys against ODU. The six three-pointers vs. GSU were 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 nine 3-pointers in the CAA Tournament brought his single-season total to 61, which is the seventh-best total in school history. It is also the second-most treys for a sophomore in school history. The record for a sophomore is by Matt Verkey with 63 in 1994.

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.

Seeing Major Minutes
With his 38 minutes against Georgia State and 35 minutes played in the victory over ODU, sophomore guard David Schneider broke the W&M school record for minutes played in a season. He has played 1,067 minute this season and is averaging 34.4 minutes per contest. The Phoenix, Ariz., native bettered 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 eighth on the Tribe’s single-season minutes played list with 965 and his career total of 3,095 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 3,046 minutes during his career. The duo also ranks second and third in career games played for the Tribe at 118 and 115, respectively.

Seniors Vital to Success
Experience has always been valued an important factor in success of college teams, and that statement rings true in the Tribe basketball program as well. Senior captains Laimis Kisielius and Nathan Mann were part of head coach Tony Shaver’s first recruiting class at the College along with Kyle Carrabine and fellow captain Chris Stratton. Kisielius and Mann have both been starters throughout their four years in Williamsburg, and the 2007-08 version of W&M basketball relies heavily on their senior leadership.

The success of the Tribe hangs in the production of both Kisielius and Mann in numerous ways, but none more evident than their offensive contributions. Mann and Kisielius have led the Tribe in scoring on eight occasions each. The duo has led W&M in scoring during 11 of the team’s 16 wins this season, including nine of its last 11 victories. Comparing the pair’s numbers between wins and losses, Mann and Kisielius shoot 42.6 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from 3-point range, while averaging a combined 24.1 points per game in W&M victories. In Green and Gold setbacks, the duo’s numbers drop to 31 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from 3-point range and 16.3 points per game.

Dishing it Out
Sophomore David Schneider tallied a career-high tying seven assists in the College’s win over Old Dominion. The seven helpers tied for the most by a W&M player in a CAA Tournament game. Greg Burzell (vs. American in 1988) and Scotty Scott (vs. American in 1999) also had seven assists in a CAA Tournament game.

The seven assists against ODU brought Schneider’s single-season total to 116. The total is the ninth best in school history and the sixth most since 1984. Schneider also improved his assist-to-turnover ratio to 2.07, which is the fifth-best total in W&M history.