WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - In one of the top match-ups in the country on Monday night, the William & Mary men's basketball team continues its five-game homestand hosting three-time defending Big South regular season champion High Point for a 7 p.m. tip at Kaplan Arena. According to the statistical web site KenPom.com, the Tribe-Panther tilt possesses the fourth highest thrill score on Monday, ranking the match-up of 2015 regular season conference champions as the fourth-best fan match of the day in the country. The contest 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. Be social and share all the Tribe news and experiences, using the hashtag #RisingTribe.
 

News and Notes
- Monday's match-up marks the fourth straight season in which W&M and High Point have met. The Panthers won the last two contests between the teams, rallying for a 66-63 win in North Carolina last season after an 80-69 triumph in Williamsburg during the 2013-14 campaign.
 
- W&M owns an 11-game home non-conference winning streaking, dating back to December of 2013. The Tribe's home record over the last three seasons is 26-6 (.813)
 
- The W&M-HPU contest pits one of the nation's top shooting team against one of the top defenses in the country. High Point ranks seventh in 3-point shooting (43.3 percent) and 19th in field goal percentage (49.2). W&M, on the other hand, is fourth nationally in 3-point percentage defense (25.4), 52nd in scoring defense (64.6) and 37th in field goal percentage defense (38.5).
 
- Junior Omar Prewitt, who leads W&M at 17.4 points per game, has scored in double figures in all nine games this season. He is only 34 points away from becoming the 38th 1,000-point scorer in W&M history. His scoring average ranks fourth in the CAA and 100th nationally. Over his career, he is averaging 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in two games vs. HPU.
 
- Sophomore Greg Malinowski recorded his first career double-double in the win over Mary Washington, tallying career-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds. He earned his first start of 2015-16, filling in for injured senior captain Terry Tarpey.
 
Scouting High Point
High Point enters Monday's contest with the Tribe at 8-3 overall, including a 2-0 mark in the Big South. After winning three straight regular season league titles, the Panthers are once again the favorite to win the Big South. HPU saw its five-game win streak come to an end with its most recent contest, a last-second 76-73 loss at N.C. State. In fact, all three High Point defeats have come by narrow margins to Power Five conference foes, including a 77-73 loss at Texas Tech and a 49-46 setback at Georgia.
 
Offensively, High Point averages nearly 80 points per game, while limiting opponents to 68.5 per contest. The Panthers ranked seventh nationally in 3-point percentage (43.3) and 19th in the country in field goal percentage (49.2). HPU also limits its turnovers, averaging just 10.9 per game, which ranks 35th nationally. Defensively, the Panthers force opponents into 15.1 turnovers per game and rank 22nd in the NCAA in turnover margin (+4.2).
 
Senior John Brown is one of the top players in the country. He leads HPU at 20.3 points per game, which ranks 31st nationally, and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Over his career, Brown is averaging 15.3 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots per game in three meetings with the Tribe. Lorenzo Cugini and Adam Weary both average in double figures for the Panthers at 14.3 and 11.3 points per game. Cugini ranks fourth nationally in 3-point percentage at 60.4 percent from long range, while hitting 2.6 triples per game.
 
The Tribe and HPU will meet for the fourth straight season. The Panthers lead the all-time series at 4-2 after winning each of the last two meetings. Last season, W&M led by 15 early in the second half, but High Point rallied for a 66-63 win in North Carolina. Junior Omar Prewitt is averaging 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists over his two career games against High Point, while classmate Daniel Dixon is 5-of-11 from long range against the Panthers. Last season against HPU, senior Terry Tarpey tallied 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. High Point won the last meeting between the two teams in Williamsburg, 80-69, in 2013.
 
Malinowski Filling In
Filling in for injured senior captain Terry Tarpey, sophomore Greg Malinowski turned in a strong performance in his first start of the season against Mary Washington. The Chantilly, Va., native registered his first career double-double with career-high efforts of 15 points and 11 rebounds. He connected on 4-of-5 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. The 6-6 wing added a career-high three blocked shots and two assists against the Eagles. W&M's top reserve during the 2015-16 campaign, Malinowski ranks fourth on the team in scoring (8.0) and rebounding (4.6). He is shooting 48 percent from the field, including a 32.1 percent effort from 3-point range.
 
Winning in the Non-Conference
With its victory over Mary Washington, the Tribe clinched a winning non-conference record for the fourth straight season under head coach Tony Shaver. In the Tribe's 80 years of conference affiliation, dating back to its first season in the South Conference in 1936-37, W&M posted a winning non-conference mark on 28 occasions. The 2015-16 non-conference mark sits as the sixth-best in program history, and the third best since W&M joined the CAA in 1984-85. A victory on Monday against High Point would be the Tribe's seventh non-conference win. The total would rank 11th in program history and fourth since joining the CAA.
 
Best Non-Conference Record
1.  4-0 (1.000) - 1952-53
2.  8-3 (.727) - 2009-10
3. 10-4 (.714) - 1949-50
4.  7-3 (.700) - 1997-98
5.  13-6 (.684) - 1948-49
6.  6-3 (.667) - 2015-16
      8-4 (.667) - 1992-93
     4-2 (.667) - 1947-48
9.  7-4 (.636) - 2006-07
10. 5-3 (.625) - 1962-63
       5-3 (.625) - 1958-59
       5-3 (.625) - 1938-39
 
Winning at Home
The Tribe owns an 11-game non-conference home winning streak entering its final two non-conference games of 2015, both at home. The Green and Gold is 4-0 in 2015-16 at home. Under head coach Tony Shaver, W&M has an impressive 49-14 (.778) record in non-conference home games. Overall, the Tribe is 26-6 (.813) at home over the last three seasons. W&M's current five-game homestand this season is the longest since a seven-game stretch during the month of December in 2006.
 
On the Defensive
A key to the Tribe's successful start to the 2015-16 season campaign has been its improved play on the defensive end. The Green and Gold has limited opponents to 64.6 points per game along with shooting percentages of 38.5 from the field and 25.4 from 3-point range. According to the statistical website KenPom.com, the Tribe possesses a defensive efficiency rating of 98.9, which ranks third in the CAA and 91st nationally. It is the Tribe's best efficiency rating since the website began tracking in 2002. W&M leads the CAA in defensive 3-point percentage and field goal percentage defense, while ranking second in scoring defense. Nationally, the Green and Gold ranks fourth in defensive 3-point percentage, 52nd in scoring defense and 37th in field goal percentage defense, as of Dec. 20.
 
In the National Rankings
The Tribe ranks among the top 100 nationally in a number of statistical categories. Here is a look at where W&M ranks nationally (as of Dec. 20):
 
4th in 3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense (25.4)
11th in Defensive Rebounds Per Game (30.6)
21st in Fewest Fouls Per Game (16.4)
37th in Field Goal Pct. Defense (38.5)
43rd in Turnovers Per Game (11.1)
45th in Blocked Shots Per Game (5.2)
51st in Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (1.36)
52nd in Scoring Defense (64.6)
62nd in Field Goal Pct. (47.0)
73rd in 3-Point Field Goal Pct. (37.5)
76th in Scoring Margin (+9.9)
82nd in Rebounds Per Game (39.6)
89th in Assists Per Game (15.1)
 
Scoring Inside
Known for its 3-point shooting, the Tribe offense showed an ability to score in the paint as well this season averaging 35.1 points per game, including 40-plus point efforts in four games. W&M is outscoring the opposition by more than eight points per game in the paint, including an impressive 40-28 margin in the win at N.C. State. The Green and Gold are 6-0 this season when outscoring its foe in the paint. In fact over the last three years, W&M is 31-2 (.939) when scoring more than its opponent in the paint, including 21 straight victories. W&M is 20-1 over the last two seasons when scoring 30 or more points in the paint.
 
Production in Reserve
The bench has been a valuable component to the Tribe's strong start, giving W&M important minutes and production. The Green and Gold bench is averaging 19.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.6 percent (64-of-129) from the field and 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from 3-point range. Since 2013-14, the Tribe is 22-10 (.688) when scoring 20 or more points off the bench, and 12-3 (.800) over the last two season when outscoring its foes in bench points. Sophomore Greg Malinowski leads the Tribe reserves in scoring at 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Jack Whitman, who is averaging 3.9 points per game off the bench, scored a career-high nine points at Liberty. Sophomore Connor Burchfield topped W&M with 19 points at Howard on a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor with five 3-pointers and with eight points at N.C. State. He scores 5.2 points per game as a reserve, while shooting 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
 
Dixon Among the Nation's Best 3-Point Shooters
Junior Daniel Dixon broke onto the scene in 2014-15 with his long-range marksmanship and ranks as one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. The early encore in 2015-16 has been equally as impressive. Dixon ranks third in the CAA at 3.1 3-pointers per game and ranks fourth in 3-point percentage at 44.4. Nationally, he is 29th in 3-pointers made and 47th in percentage. During his sophomore campaign, the Great Falls, Va., native ranked fifth nationally, shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range. He connected on 73 3-pointers last season, a number that ranked fourth in the CAA and fifth on the Tribe's single-season list. Dixon's career 3-point percentage of 43.4 ranks seventh among active Division I players (as of Dec. 19) and would establish a new W&M school record. He currently ranks fifth in Tribe history in 3-pointers made per game (2.0) and 15th in 3-pointers made (126).