WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Sporting two straight road wins to open 2015-16 season, the William & Mary men's basketball team opens the home portion of its slate, welcoming Washington Adventist to Kaplan Arena for a 7 p.m. tip on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast for FREE in HD on Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet.

Tribe fans can also catch the action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley and Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com.

Catch up with the Tribe through social media. Follow the Tribe on Twitter @TribeAthletics and for in-game updates @TribeGameDay. Check in with the Tribe on Facebook at WMTribeAthletics, and see what happening with the Green and Gold on Instagram @TribeAthletics. Finally, along with the catalog of video content on TribeAtheltics.com, check out the Tribe YouTube page.
 

News and Notes
 - The Tribe opens the home portion of its schedule against Washington Adventist on Thursday. W&M is 34-11 (.756) in home openers at Kaplan Arena, including an impressive 11-1 (.917) mark under head coach Tony Shaver. The Tribe has scored 75.8 points per game and owns a winning margin of 13.8 points in home openers under Shaver.
 
- W&M moved into 14th on the MidMajorMadness.com Power 15 this week and is receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
 
- The Tribe was named the national team of the week by ESPN analyst Andy Katz, while head coach Tony Shaver was the national coach of the week according to ESPN's Dick Vitale following the program's win at N.C. State.
 
- The Green and Gold shot better than 50 percent in each of the first two games of the season and is shooting 53.3 percent on the year. Over the last three seasons, W&M is 27-3 (.900) when shooting 50 percent or better.
 
- The Tribe is averaging 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game off the bench, shooting 64 percent as a team. W&M has outscored each of its first two opponents in benching points and is 10-2 when scoring more than its foes off the bench over the last two seasons.
 
- W&M posted roads wins in its first two games this season for the first time since 1945-46 and just the third overall. It marks the eighth time the Tribe has won its first two road contests of the season in program history and the third such occurrence under head coach Tony Shaver.
 
- A win on Thursday would give W&M its 24th 3-0 start in school history and second in the last four years under head coach Tony Shaver.
 
Scouting Washington Adventist
Washington Adventist enters the contest with the Tribe at 3-3 on the year following a 78-58 loss at Norfolk State on Tuesday night. The Shock is an NAIA Division I program and is a member of the Association of Independent Institutions. In 2013-14, Washington Adventist won the USCAA National Championship, winning a school-record 22 games.
 
In the contest with Norfolk State, WAU shot just 32.3 percent (21-of-65) from the floor. Brian Bridgeforth, a 6-10 forward, led the Shock with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Elliot Meredith and Tyrus Fleetwood added 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Spartans shot just 39.4 percent (26-of-66) on the evening, but were 20-of-27 from the free throw line to go with a 46-43 advantage on the glass.
 
The Shock are one of the highest scoring teams in NAIA, averaging 83.5 points per game, which ranks 29th nationally. The contest with Norfolk State was the only game this season that WAU did not reach the 70-point mark. Washington Adventist also ranks 12th nationally in blocked shots (4.7 per game) and 18th in both offensive (14.7) and total (45.7) rebounding.
 
A trio of players average in double figures for WAU led by the 21.2 points and 12 rebounds per game from Bridgeforth. He is shooting 58.8 percent on the season. Fleetwood is second on the team at 16.7 points per game, while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from 3-point range. Ashton Woodson chips in 13.4 points per game and leads the Shock at 3.6 assists per contest.
 
Home Opener Success
After opening the season on the road for the ninth time in the last 10 years, the Tribe returns to the friendly confines of Kaplan Arena for the 2015-16 home opener against Washington Adventist. Since the facility opened in 1971, W&M is 34-11 (.756) all-time in home openers. Head Coach Tony Shaver has enjoyed even more success in home openers, going a 11-1 as the Tribe headman at Kaplan Arena. In its 11 home openers under Shaver, W&M is averaging 75.8 points per game and winning by an average margin of 13.8 points per game.
 
            Home Openers Under Shaver
            11/18/14      Howard                      W, 56-49
            11/8/13        Liberty                        W, 84-72
            11/9/12        Hampton                    W, 69-51
            11/14/11      Liberty                        L, 72-75
            11/26/10      Gardner-Webb          W, 56-55
            11/19/09      Richmond                 W, 78-71
            11/19/08      Norfolk State            W, 74-58
            11/25/07      Houston Baptist        W, 79-70
            11/20/06      Wagner                     W, 77-53
            11/18/05      Maine                       W, 89-55
            11/19/04      Hartford                    W, 84-71
            11/23/03      Liberty                      W, 91-64
 
National Recognition
Following the Tribe's 85-68 win at N.C. State on Nov. 13, the national acclaim came rolling in for the Green and Gold. Two nationally-renowned ESPN analysts, Andy Katz and Dick Vitale, recognized W&M in their weekly awards. As part of his 3-Point Shot to start each week, Katz named the Tribe his national team of the week amid a number of impressive mid-major upsets during the college basketball slate. Vitale recognized W&M head coach Tony Shaver as his national coach of the week after the Tribe's performance against the Wolfpack. 
 
Winning on the Road
With its wins at N.C. State and Liberty, W&M notched back-to-back road wins to open a season for just the third time in school history and the first since the 1945-46 season. It also marks just the eighth time in program annals that the Green and Gold has won its first two road games of the season. Three of those occasions have come under head coach Tony Shaver as the 2015-16 squad joins both the 2012-13 and 2005-06 teams with wins in their first two road games. Only once (1935-36) has W&M won its first three road games in a season. The Tribe also won its first two road games in 1940-41, 1945-46, 1948-49 and 1959-60 as well. During Shaver's tenure, W&M had enjoyed a lot of success on the road, including two of the top three road win totals in program history with 10 in 2009-10 and eight in 2013-14. The Tribe's 85-68 win at N.C. State marked the 10th time in school history that W&M won a road game to open the season and the first since 1992-93.
 
Production in Reserve
The bench has been a key the Tribe's 2-0 start, giving W&M valuable minutes and important production. The Green and Gold outscored both N.C. State (21-19) and Liberty (22-2) off the bench. Over the first two games, the Tribe bench is averaging 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 64 percent (16-of-25) from the field with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7-to-2. Since 2013-14, the Tribe is 20-9 (.690) when scoring 20 or more points off the bench, and 10-2 (.833) over the last two season when outscoring its foes in bench scoring. Sophomore Greg Malinowski leads the Tribe bench in scoring at 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game after just missing a double-double with nine points and a career-high eight rebounds at Liberty. Sophomore Jack Whitman scored a career-high nine points at Liberty, while fellow classmate Connor Burchfield was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and led the Tribe bench with eight points at N.C. State.
 
Mid-Major Madness Power 15
MidMajorMadness.com took notice of the Tribe's victory at N.C. State, ranking the Green and Gold 14th in its Power 15 for the week. A pair of future Tribe opponents is in the rankings as well in No. 5 Dayton and No. 10 Old Dominion. The Power 15 includes teams from conferences outside the Power 5, Big East, Mountain West and American Athletic Conferences. 
 
         Mid-Major Madness Power 15
         1. Wichita State (7)
         2. Gonzaga (4)
         3. BYU (1)
         4. Valparaiso
         5. Dayton
         6. Davidson
         7. Belmont
         8. Rhode Island
         9. VCU
         10. Old Dominion
         11. Evansville
         12. Stephen F. Austin
         13. North Florida
         14. William & Mary
         15. Chattanooga
 
         Also Receiving Votes: George Washington, Columbia, Central Michigan, Iona, Monmouth,
         Richmond, UC Irvine, Louisiana Tech, Princeton, Akron, James Madison, Western Illinois, Western
         Kentucky, Sacramento State, Winthrop, Northern Iowa, Oakland, Montana, Yale, Penn, Pepperdine,
         North Dakota State, Radford, Eastern Washington, Saint Mary's
 
Shooting 50 Percent
A forerunner for Tribe victory during head coach Tony Shaver's tenure has been its ability to shoot 50 percent or better from the field. The Tribe has pulled the trick in each of the first games in 2015-16, connecting on 51.7 percent (31-of-60) at N.C. State and 55.6 percent (25-of-45) at Liberty. Over the last three seasons, W&M has connected on 50 percent or better from the field 30 times, amassing a record of 27-3 (.900) in those contests. During Shaver's 13 seasons, the Green and Gold is 72-11 (.867) when shooting 50 percent or better. Last season, W&M ranked 14th nationally at 48.3 percent and upped that percentage to 50.7 in CAA play.
 
Scoring Inside
Known for its 3-point shooting, the Tribe offense showed an ability to score in the paint as well averaging 41 points per game in the first two contests of the year. The Green and Gold outscored the ACC foe N.C. State, 40-28, in paint, before topping Liberty, 42-30. Over the last two seasons, W&M is 5-0 when scoring 40 or more points in the paint. In fact, the Tribe was 14-1 in 2014-15 when scoring 30 or more points in the paint. Since 2013-14, W&M is 18-2 (.900) when it scores 34 or more points in the paint. Over the last three seasons, W&M is 27-2 (.931) when outscoring its opponents in the paint, including victories in each of list last 17 games when topping its foes in the paint.