Fast Start Powers W&M To 73-60 Victory Over UNCW
Rob Washburn
CHAMP CENTRAL | BRACKET | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | WILLIAM & MARY PRESS CONFERENCE | UNCW PRESS CONFERENCE | GAMEDAY VIDEO | PHOTO GALLERY
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Seventh-seeded William & Mary sprinted out to a 17-6 lead and never trailed, as the Tribe defeated #10 UNCW, 73-60, in first round of the 2021 Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Saturday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
Senior Luke Loewe and freshman Connor Kochera paced W&M (7-9) with 17 points apiece, while Quinn Blair added 14 points and nine rebounds. UNCW (7-10) got a team-high 15 points from senior Ty Gadsden and 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds from Joe Pridgen.
W&M took a double-digit lead with 11:50 remaining in the first period on a pair of free throws Connor Kochera and extended the advantage to as many as 16 points before before being up 33-21 at the half. The Tribe stayed up by double digits throughout the final 20 minutes. The Seahawks got within 39-29 on a Pridgen layup with 16:16 to go, but W&M responded with a 9-1 run to regain control.
William & Mary held the Seahawks to just 31.9 percent shooting from the field. Two big differences in the game were the Tribe’s 45-33 advantage on the boards as well as outscoring the Seahawks 40-24 in the paint. W&M also made 19-of-21 free throw attempts (90.5%). Mehkel Harvey grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Tribe.
With the win, William & Mary will now face second-seed Northeastern in the third game of Sunday’s quarterfinal round, tipping at 6 p.m.
Gallery: (3-6-2021) 2021 MBB Champ: Game 2 W&M vs UNCW