WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WTKR) — William & Mary seemed to have its foot on the gas.
The Tribe were hitting three-pointers and its defense causing chaos against UNC Wilmington on Monday night. A nine-point lead giving a crowded Kaplan Arena hope that the team's unbeaten home record was about to get another win and see them lock up a top four seed in the CAA Tournament.
W&M still has its chances to clinch that double bye, but couldn't hold on to keep that winning streak going on their home floor. The Seahawks used a string of eight unanswered points to surge ahead in the final five minutes and pull away for a 79-70 win.
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"We wanted out wide open, Gabe (Dorsey) got some open shots," said Tribe head coach Brian Earl. "Things were clicking and then it just slowed down."
After going down 39-31 with 3:35 left in the first half, the Tribe got on a hot string of stops and scores. They held UNCW without a field goal for the remainder of the half, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game going into the break.
Out of the locker rooms the hot streak only continued. Gabe Dorsey nailed three three-point shots four minutes of the second half to see W&M take a 52-43 lead.
"We made shots, we defended early on," Dorsey said. "I feel like that's how we need to come out every time. Then it was just tough, they made their runs."
UNCW chipped away at the advantage thanks to the inside play of Harlan Obioha. The seven-footer scored 12 crucial points midway through the frame to give the visitors a 64-63 lead. He ultimately finished the game with 23 points to lead all scorers.
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"I think we tried everything there is in the handbook: fronting, behind, zones,” Earl said. “A few of the things worked for a possession or so, but they did a good job of saying, ‘This is how the game’s going to go.'”
After retaking a 65-64 lead with 7:13 remaining, W&M scored just five points the rest of the way and UNCW took advantage with a 15 points in the final 4:53 to pull away.
It's the first loss the Tribe have taken on their home floor since falling to the Seahawks on February 22 last season.
"We've got to flush this one away. Tough loss at home, our first loss at home," said Dorsey, who scored 19 points. "Learn from it and keep moving forward. We know what kind of team we are, we know what we're capable of, so we've just got to stay positive and keep pushing forward."
William & Mary fell to 17-12 on the season and 11-5 in the CAA. They'll head to first-place Towson on Thursday before playing Northeastern in their home finale on Saturday, needing to win just one of those games to lock up the double bye in the postseason conference tournament.
