W&M News and Notes
- Marshall, which won Conference USA and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will be the first of two Conference USA opponents for the Tribe this season. W&M is 6-3 all-time against C-USA, which was established in 1995. The Tribe has won six of its last seven against the league over the last six seasons, including four in a row. Last season, W&M downed Marshall, 114-104, and Old Dominion, 79-77, both in Williamsburg.
- Junior
Nathan Knight, who averaged 26.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week, was named the CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson National Player of the Week on Monday. He scored a career-high 32 points against defending Big South Champion Radford, before tallying 21 points, including the game-winner with 1.7 seconds left, vs. Saint Joseph's. He was also named to the watch list for the Lou Henson Award, given annually to the top Division I mid-major player in the country.
- Freshman
Chase Audige was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday, giving W&M the league's top rookie award two of the first three weeks. Classmate
L.J. Owens received the distinction on Nov. 12, and it marks the first time since 2004-05 that two Tribe players earned the award in the same season. Audige averaged 17 points, 3.5 rebounds and two steals per game last week, including a career-high 20 points in the Tribe's win over Saint Joseph's. He started his first collegiate game against Radford on Nov. 20 as well.
- W&M erased a 20-point second-half deficit against Saint Joseph's thanks to 67.7 percent (21-of-31) shooting in the final 20 minutes. It marked the Tribe's third comeback of 20 or more points under head coach
Tony Shaver and 27th double-digit comeback overall. W&M overcame a 20-point deficit at home last season against JMU and from 22-point margin in 2015 against UNCW.
- The Tribe has relied heavily on its freshman class this season as the group accounts for 95.8 minutes per game. W&M's rookies have produced averages of 26.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and eight assists through the first six contests. The group has accounted for 34 percent of W&M's scoring, 33.8 of its rebounds and 46.2 percent of its assists. According to KenPom.com, the Tribe is the 17th youngest team in the country in terms of experience, averaging just 0.91 years per player.
- Freshman
L.J. Owens has started each of the Tribe's last four games and ranks third among CAA freshmen in scoring at 10.8 points per game. He scored in double figures in four of his first six games. Owens ranks 24th overall in the CAA in scoring and eighth in 3-point shooting (.455).
- With a trio of upperclassmen starters out vs. Radford, the Tribe started three freshmen –
Chase Audige,
Quinn Blair and
L.J. Owens – for the first time under head coach
Tony Shaver. Overall it was the Tribe's first time with three rookie starters in 29 years. The last trio of freshmen to start were Brendan Connor, Thomas Roberts and Derrick Peters at George Mason on Feb. 15, 1990. The Tribe started three freshmen on seven times in 1989-90 with Todd Cauthorn mixing in as the third rookie starter at times.
- After shooting a season-high 57.1 percent vs. Saint Joseph's, W&M leads the CAA in field goal percentage (.490) and ranks 45th nationally in the category. Over the last six years, the Tribe is one of two teams nationally, along with Gonzaga, to rank among the top 30 nationally in field goal percentage. Last season, W&M was second in the country at 51.1 percent.
- In nine of head coach
Tony Shaver's 15 seasons, the Tribe ranked among the top 50 according to KenPom.com in terms of assist percentage. This season, W&M is 17th in the country assisting on 61.7 percent of its made field goals. The Green and Gold leads the CAA and ranks 36th nationally at 17.2 assists per game in 2018. Each of the last two seasons, W&M ranked seventh nationally in assists per game at 17.5 in 2016-17 and 17.7 in 2017-18.
- The Tribe ranks 23rd nationally according to KenPom.com in effective field goal percentage (57.3). W&M has ranked among the top 25 nationally according to the statistical website each of the previous six seasons, including No. 2 in 2017-18 (59.5).
- Junior
Justin Pierce, who was a preseason All-CAA pick, has been dominant to start the 2018-19 season posting double-doubles in three of his four games. He is averaging 21.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and ranks second in the CAA and 16th nationally in double-doubles.
- Freshman
Thornton Scott dished out eight assists against Radford and followed with a career-high nine points and four assists in the win over Saint Joseph's. His eight assists marked the most for a W&M rookie since Sherman Rivers had nine in 1999 against Wofford. Scott ranks 12th in the CAA at three assists per game.
- Junior
Matt Milon knocked down eight 3-pointers in the posting a career-high 30 points at UIC. His eight triples were the most in the CAA this season and third in W&M history. He ranks fourth in the CAA and 75th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (3.0).
- Knight was named one of 21 players nationally to the Watch List for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The 6-10 center was selected to the NBC Sports Preseason Mid-Major All-America Second Team in September.
