W&M advanced to its fifth straight #CAAChamps Semifinal.
Cohn Pushes W&M Past Towson, 80-66
Rob Washburn
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W&M Postgame
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 4, 2018) – Redshirt senior David Cohn led a balanced William & Mary attack with 24 points, six rebounds, and seven assists to help the fourth-seeded Tribe punch a ticket into the semifinals for the fifth straight season following an 80-66 win over fifth-seeded Towson in the second quarterfinal of the 2018 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs.
Sophomore Nathan Knight recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, senior Connor Burchfield and redshirt sophomore Matt Milon both had three treys apiece and finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively, for William & Mary (19-11), which advances to face top-seeded College of Charleston (24-7) on Monday night at 6:00 p.m.
Both of Monday’s semifinal contests will take place on CBS Sports Network.
Sophomore Justin Gorham had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Zane Martin just a missed his own double-double with 18 points and nine helpers for Towson. The Tigers shot 40.9 percent as a team from the floor and went 6-of-25 from behind the arc in ending their season with an 18-14 overall record.
William & Mary came out firing on all cylinders and led by as many as 16 after Knight made a pair of free throws with 8:15 remaining in the first half. The Tigers made just 2-of-9 shots from three-point range in the first 20 minutes, and were paced offensively by Gorham and seniors Mike Morsell and Eddie Keith, who accounted for 25 of their team’s 32 points as the Tribe entered the break ahead, 41-32.
Both teams didn’t shy away from the long-ball in the second half, but it was the Tribe (6-of-13 in the final 20 minutes) who made the most of their attempts and stretched the lead to 18 with 7:18 left after Burchfield nailed his final trey of the game. From there, the Tigers didn’t cut the deficit to fewer than 11 and W&M held on for its 19
th win of the 2017-18 season.
William & Mary, which leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, excelled from both areas in the victory. The Tribe was 11-of-25 (44%) from beyond the arc and 21-of-24 (87.5%) at the charity stripe. W&M also out-rebounded Towson 37-34.
Morsell finished with 14 points and Keith chipped in 12 for the Tigers.
W&M, which earned the No. 4 overall seed for the second straight year, is the only team in the CAA that has appeared in each of the last five tournament semifinals.