W&M News and Notes
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with Towson at 22-19, but the Tigers hold an 11-8 advantage at home. W&M has won four of the last five against Towson, including each of the last two on the road.
- W&M is one of the top teams in the country at limiting its opponent from 3-point range. The Tribe ranks 21st nationally as its foes score just 23.1% of their points from long distance. W&M also limits foes to just 29.1% from 3-point range, which leads the CAA and ranks 34th nationally in 3-point % defense.
- In each of its last four games, the Tribe has started three freshmen. In total, W&M rookies have comprised 47.3% (26-of-55) of the team's starts and 42.2% (938-of-2225) of the team's minutes. According to KenPom.com, the Tribe is the 40th youngest team in the country in terms of experience (1.22). Prior to this season, the Tribe had started three freshmen in a game eight times since the 1989-90.
- Following its games at Towson this weekend, W&M will have played six of its first eight CAA games on the road. In total, the Tribe will play 10 of its first 13 games away from Williamsburg, including four of its five nonconference contests. Last season, the Tribe played 12 of its first 16 games on the road.
- The Tribe has attacked the offensive glass this season. W&M is averaging 10.8 offensive rebounds and posting an offensive rebounding % of 30. Those numbers rank third and second in the CAA, respectively. The Tribe pulled down a season-high 16 offensive rebounds in the win over Delaware on Jan. 9.
- Freshman
Connor Kochera scored a career-high 26 points in the Tribe's win at Drexel on Jan. 17. It marked the most points for a W&M rookie since Marcus Thornton had 28 vs. VCU in 2012. Kochera connected was 14-of-16 from the free throw line, including 10-of-12 during the Tribe's clinching 14-0 run. He upped his season scoring average of 11 per game, which ranks 22nd in the league and second among CAA freshmen.
- As the Tribe's lone scholarship senior,
Luke Loewe has stepped into a starring role. In CAA play, he ranks second in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game, while coming in seventh in all games at 16.7 per contest. Loewe leads the CAA and ranks 49th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). He is also third in the league in minutes (36.2), fifth in steals (1.6), seventh in assists (3.6) and free throw % (81.0) and 15th in 3-pointers made (1.6). He scored a career-high 27 at Hofstra, one of his four 20-point games this season.
- The Tribe used the free throw line to its advantage in the win at Drexel on Jan. 17, scoring its final 19 points as part of a 19-3 run to close the game. In total, W&M connected on a season-high 24 made free throws in the win. On the year, the Green and Gold ranks 86th nationally at 73.2% from the charity stripe and have improved to 75.9% in CAA play, which is fifth in the league.
- Junior
Quinn Blair has enjoyed a strong start to CAA play, averaging 12.8 points and has scored in double figures in five of the six games. He scored a career-high 17 points on Jan. 3 at Hofstra. Blair leads the Tribe and ranks ninth in the CAA in rebounding at six per game. He is also 21st in the league in scoring at 11.2 points per game.
- Freshman
Yuri Covington became the second Tribe player to be named CAA Rookie of the Week this season on Dec. 21. Following a 16-day lay-off, Covington helped the Tribe to a 2-1 week, averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He had a career-high 16 points at George Washington, including 14 in the second half and OT. He joined
Connor Kochera in earning CAA Rookie of the Week honors this season Kochera earned the honor on Nov. 30 after leading the team with 19 points in the opener at Old Dominion.
- Covington and Kochera statistically rank among the top freshmen in the CAA. Kochera is second among CAA rookies in scoring and 22nd overall (11.0), while Covington ranks third among freshmen and 28th overall (10.0). Kochera also leads CAA rookies in 3-pointers (1.7) and 3-point % (38.6), and Covington is second in assists (2.1).
- After playing two years behind
Nathan Knight, who is currently with the Atlanta Hawks, junior
Mehkel Harvey has made an impact in the paint. The 6-9 forward picked up his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Hampton and recorded a career-high 16 at Hofstra. Harvey leads the CAA and ranks 30th nationally in blocked shots at 2.2 per game. He also ranks sixth in the CAA in offensive rebounding (2.5) and 11th in rebounds (5.8).
- In his first season as a head coach,
Dane Fischer received multiple Coach of the Year award, including VaSID State, CAA and NABC District 10 honors. He was also a finalist for a pair of National Coach of the Year awards, including the Hugh Durham Award Mid-Major Coach of the Year and the Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented annually to first-year D1 head coach. His 21 wins in 2019-20 were the second-most for a rookie head coach in the country last season.
