By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Having lost four of its previous five games, three of which by double digits, William & Mary was approaching the danger zone going into a two-game homestand last week. Drexel had beaten the Tribe by 27 points four weeks earlier, and Delaware was the hottest team in the conference.
 
Nothing improves a mood like winning, and W&M picked up two badly needed victories. At 18-10 overall and 10-5 in the league, the Tribe is in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association heading into a Thursday-Saturday swing at Towson and James Madison.
 
"I think the most important thing was getting us playing well again," W&M coach Dane Fischer said. "Certainly, to come home and play like we did against Drexel and Delaware, two close games with great atmospheres, that was really important.
 
"More than anything, when you win, it settles everyone down. I think that was the biggest thing, to have that feeling of calmness back. I thought our guys had an unbelievable week leading up to Drexel and Delaware and then went out and played well in both games."
 
Neither win came easy. W&M never trailed against Drexel, but it was a one-point game with 47 seconds remaining. The Tribe trailed Delaware by seven at halftime and by six with nine minutes left.
 
Senior Nathan Knight added to his CAA Player of the Year credentials with a combined 61 points and 19 rebounds. He had a memorable 3-point play with 22 seconds left to seal the win over the Dragons and sparked the comeback vs. the Blue Hens with a 3-point jumper.
 
The Tribe is 5-0 in conference games decided by five points or fewer.
 
"It speaks to the poise of the players and to how veteran this group is," Fischer said. "This team hasn't been together that long, but we've got a lot of guys who have played a lot of college basketball. Those are the guys who are usually out there down the stretch. 
 
"It's been great that we've been able to win as many close games as we have, and our guys are playing well in key moments. It speaks to the poise they play with more than anything."
 
During the five-game stretch leading up to last week's homestand, the Tribe averaged 58 points and 14 turnovers a game while shooting 40 percent. Against Drexel and Delaware, W&M scored 79 points and had 9 turnovers a game while shooting 52 percent.
 
There was a slight scare in the final seconds of the Delaware win as point guard Bryce Barnes appeared to suffer an injury. Fischer said Barnes will be able to play Thursday at Towson, though the coaches will monitor his minutes in practice.
 
As for guard Thornton Scott, who has missed the last two games with a lower leg injury, Fischer said he's getting closer.
 
"We're hoping he'll be ready to go by the weekend, but I don't know that," Fischer said. "A lot's going to depend on what he can do over the next three days."
 
Key to Saturday's win was reserve forward Quinn Blair, who scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Called on by the opposing coach to shoot free throws after Barnes was injured with less than 30 seconds left, Blair knocked down both attempts to push the Tribe's lead to six.
 
"He's been playing really well here for the majority of the second semester," Fischer said. "He's a really smart player and a very versatile player.
 
"He fits in really well with Nate and Andy (Van Vliet). He knows how to play around those guys. With Thornton being out, his ability to play the three and the four is important for us."
 
With three games remaining in the regular season, W&M has clinched a top-six seed and first-round bye in the CAA tournament, which runs from March 7-10 in Washington, D.C. That would mean three games instead of four to win the championship.
 
As for what seed the Tribe will eventually get, there's too much in the air to discuss all the scenarios.
 
"The standings don't matter until the season ends," he said. "We need to prepare well and play really well against Towson to see if we can get one at their place on Thursday. That's what we have to worry about right now."