ROCK HILL, S.C. – Matteus Case scored a career-high 19 points, but his half-court heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard as William &  Mary suffered a 78-76 setback to North Carolina Central on the second day of the Rock Hill Classic.
 
The Tribe (2-3) erased a second-half deficit of as much as 11 points and twice led by a point in the final three minutes. The last time was at 73-72 following a Noah Collier hook shot at the 1:55 mark. 

Po'Boigh King answered with the free throw line jumper on the ensuing NC Central (1-4) possession to give the Eagles the lead for good.
 
With five second remaining and the Tribe trailing by a two, junior guard Kyle Pulliam intentionally missed the second of his free throw attempts, but NC Central's Timmy Adedire was able to pull down the rebound. The senior forward was fouled with 3.7 seconds remaining, but missed the front end of the 1-and-1. Collier pulled down the rebound and found Case, but his running half-courter was off the mark at the horn.
 
Case was 6-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line in reaching his career-high. He added five rebounds and a career-high four assists. Collier totaled 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Pulliam was the third Tribe player in double figures with 15 points on 8-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
King led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-10 from 3. Keishon Porter tallied 14 points for the Eagles.
 
W&M shot 58.3% (14-of-24) from the floor in the second half and finished the game at 53.2% (25-of-47). The Green and Gold was 22-of-29 (75.9%) from the free throw line and held a 30-28 advantage on the glass. N.C. Central shot 47.4% (27-of-57) from the floor, including 10-of-29 from 3-point range (34.5%).

NC Central scored the game's opening four points and led 9-7, before Collier sparked a 6-0 run with four of his own to give the Tribe a 13-9 lead just over 6:30 into the game.
 
A fast-break corner 3-pointer from graduate student Keller Boothby extended the Tribe's lead to its largest at 22-15 at 9:09 left in the first half.
 
The Eagles pulled even at 31 on a pair Porter free throws with 2:29 remaining in the frame. Aquan Smart scored the final four points of the half, including a fastbreak layup with 22 seconds left, to give the Eagles 37-35 lead at the break.
 
North Carolina Central started the second half on a 12-4 to open up a double-digit lead. Five-straight points from King, including a corner 3, increased the lead to 49-39 just four minutes into the second half.
 
The Tribe deficit was 11, 52-41, following another King 3-pointer at the 14:45 mark. W&M answered with six in a row and closed the gap to 52-47 just 1:24 later on a Chase Lowe lay-up.
 
Five in a row from Case, including a 3-point play off the fastbreak, narrowed the margin to 59-57 with 9:20 left. The Tribe pulled even at 61 on a Pulliam driving layup with under seven minutes remaining.
 
Up Next
The Tribe wraps up the Rock Hill Classic when it faces Georgia Southern on Sunday. Tip-off is set for noon from the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can listen in over the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley and Jack Angelucci on the call. Locally in Williamsburg, fans can listen in on The Tide 92.3 FM.