W&M News and Notes
- The Tribe has won 10 of the last 12 games vs. JMU, including each of the last three. W&M is 24-13 against the Dukes under the direction of head coach
Tony Shaver. The last five meetings between the teams have been decided by seven points or fewer, including two games that went to OT.
- The Tribe has improved defensively in CAA play. W&M ranks second in defensive efficiency (104.9) in league games and has held six opponents to a point or less per possession. In comparison, the Tribe limited two opponents in the non-conference to a point or less per possession. W&M also ranks second in league games in defensive field goal percentage (44.3) and third in defensive 3-point percentage (34.7).
- With its win at Towson on Thursday, W&M secured a first-round bye in the CAA Championship and cemented as least a tie for fourth in the league standings. A win or a Delaware loss would give the Tribe the No. 4 seed in the league tournament, otherwise W&M is the No. 5 seed. The Tribe has finished fourth or higher in the CAA standings for six-straight years.
- Each of the previous five seasons, the Tribe won double-digit CAA games, and with a win on Saturday, W&M would become just the fifth program on six occasions to win double-digit CAA games in six-straight seasons. George Mason from 2008-13 was the last CAA program to accomplish the feat and no current league program has done it.
- Junior
Nathan Knight became the first player in program history to scored 30 points in three consecutive games with his 30-point effort in a win over Charleston on Feb. 21. Knight also was the first Tribe player with back-to-back games of 35 points after tallying a career-high 39 at Hofstra and 35 in the road win at Elon on Feb. 16. His 39 points against the Pride on Feb. 9 were the fifth most in W&M history, and the last time a W&M player scored more than 39 points was Jeff Cohen's school-record 49 against Richmond in 1961.
- Freshman
Chase Audige has come on strong in CAA play. In league games, he leads all rookies in scoring at 11.6 per game. Audige adds 5.2 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 41 percent from 3 in CAA contests. He is the first CAA freshman since 1992 to average 10 points, five rebounds and three assists per game in league action. Audige has been named the CAA Rookie of the Week on three occasions this season.
- Junior
Justin Pierce has come up big recently. He tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win at Towson on Thursday. In the victory over UNCW, Pierce scored five-straight points to spark a 9-2 run over the final two minutes after the Seahawks closed within a point. He ranks among the top 15 in the CAA in nine different categories, including 16th in scoring (14.5), third in rebounding (8.6) and sixth in assists (3.9). Pierce is 33rd nationally in defensive rebounding (6.9), 57th in rebounding (8.6) and 79th nationally in double-doubles (8).
- Over the last four games, junior
Matt Milon is averaging 17 points per game, and he is shooting 45 percent (18-of-40) from 3 over the last five. He scored a CAA career-high 27 points in the win over Charleston and his 81 3-pointers this season rank sixth in program history. Milon ranks second at 3.2 triples per game in league action. Overall, he ranks 54th nationally in 3s per game (2.9) and 75th in 3-point percentage (38.8).
- Knight was named the CAA co-Player of the Week on Feb. 18 after recording his 11th double-double of the season with 35 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in a win at Elon. It was his third career award and first in 2018-19. His 11th double-doubles are the most for a W&M player since 1992-93 and rank 31st nationally.
- The Tribe rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit in its win over Charleston on Feb. 21. It was the 30th double-digit comeback under head coach
Tony Shaver. The Tribe has done it four times this season, including three in CAA play, and erased a 20-point second-half deficit in an 87-85 win over Saint Joseph's on Nov. 24.
- On Feb. 8, Knight was selected as one of the top 10 candidates for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the fifth-annual honor recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.
- As a team, W&M leads the CAA in blocked shots at 4.8 per game, which also ranks 22nd nationally. In CAA play, the Tribe is blocking 5.4 shots per game. W&M owns the top three single-game blocked shot totals this season in the CAA with 14 against William Peace, 12 vs. Charleston on Feb. 21 and 10 on Jan. 31 against Drexel. W&M's 139 blocked shots this season rank 17th nationally and are the fourth most in program history.
- Knight has turned in an impressive stat line this season, averaging 20.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Since 1992, former No. 1 pick and NBA MVP Tim Duncan at Wake Forest in 1996-97 is the only player in college basketball with a season stat line of at least 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots per game.
- W&M, which has led the CAA five of the last six years, once again tops the league in assists at 17 per game in 2018-19. That number also ranks 14th nationally. The Tribe is sixth in the country according to KenPom.com in assists percentage, recording an assist on 62.2 percent of its field goals.
- The Tribe dished out 20 or more assists on 10 occasions this season, including seven in CAA play, and is 7-3 in those contests. Over the last nine seasons, the Green and Gold is 44-5 when dishing out 20 or more assists.
