PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Known for its high-powered offense, the William & Mary men's basketball team turned the tide with its defense on the way to equaling the best CAA start in program history with an 85-63 win at Drexel on Sunday afternoon. The Dragons (7-10, 1-3 CAA) led by as much as 10 in the first half, but from the 6:05 mark of the opening half to the 10:41 mark of the second, W&M (11-4, 4-0 CAA) limited the Dragon's to 2-of-23 from the floor and outscored the home team 41-11 on the way to its third-straight league win on the road. The Green and Gold improved ot 4-0 in league action, tying the previous best accomplished by the 1997-98 team.
 
Drexel hit 10 of its first 14 shots and used a 7-0 run to open up a 23-14 lead. During the spurt, Tramaine Isabell scored back-to-back buckets, including a three, before Alihan Demir drove for a layup to force a Tribe timeout with 12:06 left.
 
The home team's lead reached as much as 10, 28-18, before the Green and Gold ripped off a 21-2 run to alter the momentum. Senior David Cohn, who tied a career-high with 26 points, sparked the run, scoring 10 of W&M's 21 points. Sophomore Nathan Knight's steal and fastbreak dunk pulled the Tribe within 28-26 and caused a Drexel timeout at the 8:12 mark. The onslaught continued as the Green and Gold took its first lead on a Cohn triple moments later.
 
After a Drexel bucket, W&M scored eight in a row to close out the run. Cohn scored five of those points, and a Justin Pierce's free throw gave W&M a 39-30 cushion with 4:22 left. W&M expanded the margin to 11, 45-34, at the break, thanks to six-straight points to end the half, including back-to-back transition jumpers from Paul Rowley and Matt Milon off Cohn assists.
 
The real story of the Tribe's flip from down double-digits to up double-digits was the defense. Over the final six minutes of the first half, the Green and Gold limited DU to 1-of-12 from the floor and zero for its final seven. Drexel did not fair much better going 1-of-11 to start the second half, and the Tribe put the game away with a 12-1 run, opening up a 20-point cushion.
 
Individual Player Spotlight
Senior David Cohn equaled his career high with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with 4-of-5 from 3-point range. He also tallied six assists compared to just one turnover. Sophomore Nathan Knight posted his fourth-straight double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Alihan Demir and Tramaine Isabell topped the Dragons with 14 points apiece.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Defensively, W&M limited Drexel to 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the field, including just 29.2 percent (12-of-41) over the final 26:30 of the contest. The Tribe held the Dragons to 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from 3-point range.
 
- W&M shot 50 percent or better from the field for the fourth-straight game, hitting at a 50-percent (32-of-64) clip. The Tribe connected on 50 percent in both halves.
 
- The Green and Gold knocked down 10 3-pointers on the night, its eighth game of double-digit 3-pointers. W&M is 7-1 on the year when hitting 10 or more 3-pointers in a game.
 
- The Tribe dominated the glass, outrebounding Drexel, 41-30, and outscoring the Dragons, 21-6, in second chance points.
 
Notes
The Tribe equaled the best CAA start in school history with a 4-0 mark to open league play, including three wins on the road … W&M won three road games in a week for the second time in the last five seasons under head coach Tony Shaver after not accomplishing the feat in the previous 50 years of Tribe basketball … The Tribe also won three road games in a week in February of 2014 … W&M's five road wins are the most in the CAA … The Green and Gold owns three CAA road victories, while the rest of the league owns just four … Senior guard David Cohn tied a career-high with 26 points … It was his third game of 25 or more points this season and second in CAA play … Sophomore Nathan Knight recorded his fourth-straight double-double and seventh overall on the season … Sophomore Matt Milon finished his 13 points, his sixth-straight game of double-digit scoring and his 13th in the last 14 games.
 
Up Next
The Tribe returns to Williamsburg to open a three-game homestand, beginning on Thursday, Jan. 11, against in-state rival James Madison. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., from Kaplan Arena. The game will be the program's annual Shoeless Showdown, teaming with C&F Bank and Chick-fil-A to raise awareness for children and adults in the area in need of shoes. Fans that donate a new pair of shoes (children or adult) at the game, will receive a free ticket to the contest. In addition, each person donating a new pair of shoes will get a ticket to an upcoming Tribe home game, a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich and a $10 voucher toward a new C&F checking account. Donations are also accepted at any C&F Bank in the Williamsburg area.

The game will be broadcast online at Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet. Tribe fans can catch the men's basketball 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.
 
A reminder to Tribe fans of an upcoming event, the Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show debuts for the 2017-18 season on Monday night, Jan. 8, from Paul's Deli in Williamsburg. The weekly show begins on-site at 6:30 p.m., with the live interview airing from 7-7:30 p.m.  Longtime Tribe play-by-play announcer Jay Colley will host the broadcast from Paul's Deli at 761 Scotland Street in Williamsburg. Shows will be held Mondays from Jan. 8 through Feb. 19. The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show can be heard over the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network at 92.3 FM The Tide and 107.9 Bach FM. It will be streamed online at TribeAthletics.com as well.