WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Behind a record-setting night from sophomore forward Nathan Knight and a late 10-0 run, the William & Mary men's basketball team won its home opener, 83-76, over instate foe Hampton on Wednesday night. Knight knocked down 18-of-22 from the charity stripe, both Kaplan Arena records, including six during the Tribe's decisive run in the final 3:30 of the contest, and finished with a 31-point, 14-rebound double-double.
 
Hampton (1-2) led 74-71 following a Lysander Bracey 3-pointer with 3:44 remaining. It would be the final Pirate field goal of the evening as W&M (1-1) limited the visitors to 0-of-6 over the final 3:40 and just two points on a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left. Offensively, the Tribe hit its final 10 at the charity stripe. After a pair of Knight free throws narrowed the gap to one at the 3:25 mark, senior David Cohn put the Tribe on top for good with a driving lay-up less than 40 seconds later.
 
Hampton took as much as a six-point lead in the opening 20 minutes, 20-14, thanks to a seven-point run. Austin Colbert capped the run with a transition 3-pointer at the 11:38 mark. The Green and Gold pulled even at 29 on a Jihar Williams 3-pointer with 6:16 left, before moving back in front, 33-32, on a Cole Harrison lay-up. The Pirates, though, took a 41-39 advantage into the locker room on a deep Greg Heckstall 3-pointer as time expired.
 
W&M twice used eight-point runs to move in front in the second half. After Jermaine Marrow scored four-straight to put Hampton on top, 51-45, at the 15:45 mark,  sophomore Matt Milon scored five-straight as part of an 8-0 run to give W&M the lead, following his fast-break lay-up seven minutes into the second frame.
 
The Pirates again took as much as a five-point lead behind back-to-back Kalin Fisher lay-ups, but W&M responded. Junior Paul Rowley and Milon hit back-to-back 3-pointers, before a Justin Pierce bucket capped the 8-0 run and put W&M in front, 69-66 with 6:06 left.
 
Individual Player Spotlights
Along with Knight's standout performance, fellow sophomore classmates Milon and Pierce added double-digit efforts. Milon scored 13 of his 15 in the final 20 minutes as he hit 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Pierce just missed a double-double with 13 points, including eight in the final seven minutes of the contest, to go with nine rebounds.
 
For Hampton, Marrow scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the way. He needed 21 shots to scored his team-best 24 points and chipped in four assists. Heckstall tallied 13 points, all in the first half, before fouling out.
 
Inside the Numbers
- The Tribe finished the night at 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field, including a 52-percent effort (13-of-25) in the second half.
- Defensively, W&M held Hampton to 40.9 percent (27-of-66) shooting, including just 37.1 percent (13-of-35) in the second half and 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from 3 in the final 20 minutes.
- After starting the game 2-of-11 from 3-point range (18.2 percent) in the opening half, the Tribe canned 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from distance in the final 20 minutes. Rowley (two) and Milon (three) knocked down all five triples during the stretch.
- Hampton outrebounded the Tribe, 38-35, and scored 15 second-chance points. W&M, though, held a 23-17 advantage in the second half on the backboards, limiting the Pirates to five offensive rebounds and zero second-chance points.
- The Tribe connected on 82.4 percent (28-of-34) at the free throw line and hit its final 10 at the charity stripe over the last 3:25. W&M outscored Hampton, 28-14, at the free throw line.
 
Notes
Both Nathan Knight's 31 points and 14 rebounds were career highs as was his 35 minutes played … It was the first 30-point, 10-rebound double-double for W&M since Danny Sumner (30 points and 11 rebounds vs. Navy) in 2008 and the second double-double of Knight's young career … While his 22 free throw attempts and 18 makes were individual Kaplan Arena records, they also rank second and third, respectively, in the W&M record books … The totals were the highest for W&M since Kurt Small was 19-of-24 at The Citadel in 1993… Justin Pierce set a career-high with nine rebounds … Paul Rowley blocked a career-high four shots against the Pirates … David Cohn added 10 points, three assists and two steals … Freshman Jihar Williams knocked down his first collegiate 3-pointer in the first half … W&M's sophomore class of Knight, Milon and Pierce scored 59 of W&M's 83 points on the night … The Tribe ran its non-conference home court win streak to 19 and improved to 14-1 all-time in home openers under head coach Tony Shaver … W&M won its sixth-straight at home against the Pirates.

Up Next
The Tribe returns to action, traveling to Orlando, Fla., to take on American Athletic Conference foe Central Florida on Saturday, Nov. 18. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. The Knights, who advanced to the NIT Semifinals last season, improved to 2-0 on the year with a 68-65 win over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night. The game will be streamed on ESPN3. Fans can also catch the action over the Tribe Radio Network via 107.9 Bach FM with Andrew Phillips on the call.