WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Behind a career-high 33 points from sophomore Justin Pierce, the William & Mary men's basketball team rolled to an 83-66 victory over Delaware on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe (16-9, 9-5 CAA) celebrated its fourth-annual Gold Rush Game, played in conjunction with W&M's Charter Day Weekend, in grand fashion before a season-high 5,825 fans, which is the most to see a CAA game this season.
 
After a hot Delaware (11-16, 4-10 CAA) start that included hitting six of its first seven shots, the Tribe seized control of the game with a 15-2 run. Pierce, who had a personal one-on-one match-up going with the Blue Hen's Ryan Allen in the first half, tallied seven of the Green and Gold's points during the run as part of 23 in the first 20 minutes. Allen matched the Tribe sophomore with 23 first-half points as well, hitting 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
 
As part of the 15-2 run, W&M scored nine-straight points to flip a five-point deficit into a 29-25 lead following an Oliver Tot 3-pointer with 7:16 left in the opening half. After an Eric Carter bucket, W&M scored six in a row, punctuated by a Pierce 3-pointer to extend the lead to 35-27 and force a Blue Hen timeout.
 
W&M's lead reached as much as 12, 43-31, in the opening 20 minutes on a Matt Milon 3-pointer with two and a half minutes remaining. In total, the Tribe shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) in the first half.
 
The Green and Gold put to rest any ideas of a Delaware comeback out of the gates in the second frame. W&M used an 11-2 run in the opening 3:05 to extend the margin to 17, 58-41, on pair of Pierce free throws. Sophomore Nathan Knight scored the first five of the run, while Pierce added four.
 
W&M's lead ballooned to as much as 28, 77-49, thanks to a Pierce fast-break dunk off a dish from senior David Cohn, who finished with 11 assists on the night. The story of the final 20 minutes for the Tribe was its defense. The Green and Gold limited UD to 31.6 percent (9-of-29) shooting, including an 0-of-5 effort from 3, in the second half.
 
Individual Player Spotlight
Sophomore Justin Pierce poured in a career-high 33 points, the most for a Tribe player this season, on 10-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also was a career-best 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Classmate Nathan Knight added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, his eighth of the season, to go with four blocked shots, and sophomore Matt Milon chipped in 13 points.
 
Ryan Allen finished with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range, for Delaware. Skye Johnson added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
 
Inside the Numbers
- W&M finished the night at 50 percent (28-of-56) shooting, marking the ninth time in 14 CAA games that the Tribe shot 50 percent or better.

- The Green and Gold connected on 11 3-pointers, shooting 40.7 percent from long range. The Tribe has made double-digit 3-pointers in six of the last seven games.
 
- W&M dished out 20 assists on its 28 made field goals compared to just nine turnovers. It is the eighth game of 20 or more assists this season and the Tribe is 7-1 in those contests.  
 
- The Tribe tallied 10 steals against Delaware, it's most against a Division I opponent this season. Senior David Cohn led the way with a career-high four swipes. In total, W&M turned 17 Delaware turnovers into 22 points.
 
Notes
Justin Pierce's 33 points are the second most for a Tribe sophomore in school history … Omar Prewitt had 33 as a sophomore in the CAA semifinals vs. Hofstra in 2015, while Mike Arizin holds the sophomore scoring record at 35 points vs. Richmond in 1973 … Senior David Cohn registered his 10th career double-digit assists game and his CAA-leading fifth of the season … Both those marks are school records … He moved into second on the single-season assists list with 167 and is just one shy of the school record of 168 held by Scott Coval in 1985 … With its 20 assists, the Tribe now has 448 on the season, which ranks seventh on the program's single-season list … The Tribe won its sixth-straight game against Delaware and improved to 4-0 in Gold Rush Games.
 
Up Next
The Tribe hits the road for the Northeast swing of the CAA schedule next week. The Green and Gold travels to Hofstra on Thursday, Feb. 15, for a 7 p.m., tip-off, before heading to Northeastern on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 4 p.m. Both games will be available on CAA.TV. Tribe fans can also 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.
 
The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show returns on Monday night, Feb. 12, 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.