HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- Both Hampton and William & Mary entered Thursday night's showdown looking to start a surge in conference play and it was the Tribe that got back into the win column with a strong second half.
The Tribe outscored its 757 rivals in the second frame, 42-29, and dominated the boards in a 73-61 win over the Pirates. The victory pushed William & Mary to 7-9, 2-1 in the CAA, but dropped Hampton to 4-12 and 0-4 in league play.
The first half was back and forth with Hampton opening up a six point lead on Jordan Nesbitt's three-pointer with 4:51 to go in the stanza. The Tribe scored the final five points of the half and the Pirates held a slim 32-31 advantage going into halftime.
An early 8-0 run by Dane Fischer's team early in the second half pushed the Tribe back in front and the visitors would never look back. Matteus Case was fouled while knocking down a fade-away jumper and hit the free throw to extend the cushion to 56-46 with 11:33 to go.
The Pirates, however, had a run left in them, trimming the gap to four points at 58-54 at the 7:53 mark, but the Tribe had an answer. William & Mary's defense held Hampton to just 1-of-9 shooting for the remainder of the contest and earned the victory.
Chase Lowe led five Tribe players in double figures with 15 points and added nine rebounds. Trey Moss chipped in 12 points, while Charlie Williams and Case each contributed 11 points. Caleb Dorsey added a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards.
Hampton was led by Kyrese Mullen's game-high 22 points. He also grabbed nine boards. Nesbitt tallied 15 points and nine rebounds in the losing cause.
The Tribe kept the fast-paced Pirates from getting out and running, holding them to zero fast-break points. William & Mary also out-rebounded Hampton, 45-32, and held them to 38 percent shooting from the floor.
The two teams will rematch on March 2 to end the regular season on the Tribe's home floor.
William & Mary returns to action Saturday at home against Stony Brook, while Hampton welcomes North Carolina A&T on Monday night.
