WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary men's basketball closed out the year strong behind a standout second-half performance to pull away from Stony Brook, 76-57, on New Year's Eve at Kaplan Arena.
 
The Tribe, which won for the ninth time in its last 10 games, shot 60.9% in the final 20 minutes and in the process matched the second-best start, through 14 games, in school history. W&M improved to 2-0 in CAA play for the sixth time in the last nine seasons and the second consecutive year under head coach Brian Earl.
 
Junior Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi led the team with 22 points, making 8-of-10 field goals and converting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also tied a career-high with a team-best seven rebounds. Senior Kyle Pulliam contributed 17 points, hitting 5-of-7 shots and securing six rebounds while adding two steals. Junior Reese Miller scored 13 points off the bench, including a thunderous second-half dunk, and dished out three assists with five rebounds.
 
W&M (11-3, 2-0 CAA) started strong, opening with a trio of 3-pointers, including two from graduate student Cade Haskins. His second in transition from senior guard Chase Lowe put the Tribe on top 9-0 just under 2:30 into the game. 
 
Rob Brown III kept Stony Brook (8-7, 0-2 CAA) close scoring nearly half of the Seawolves' points, 15 of 31, in the opening 20 minutes. He knocked down 5-of-7 from the beyond the arc in the first half. His 3-pointer at the 14:22 mark tied the contest at 12.
 
Brown III hit three-straight 3-pointers as part of an 11-2 Stony Brook run to give the visitor its first lead. His final triple of the half at the four-minute mark gave the Seawolves a 29-25 lead.
 
The Tribe held Stony Brook without a field goal over the final four minutes and scored nine of the half's final 11 points. Vahlberg Fasasi started the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play, before junior Kilian Brockhoff ended the half with a lay-up off a dish from Miller to give W&M a 34-31 advantage at the break. 
 
W&M initiated the second half with five-straight points off a Pulliam lay-up and a 3-pointer from Vahlberg Fasasi to take a 39-31 lead less than two minutes into the frame.
 
Erik Pratt scored the Seawolves' first seven points of the final frame. His 3-pointer at the 16:48 mark narrowed the gap to 41-38.
 
The Tribe responded by hitting five of its next seven shots. Four-straight points from Miller, including a driving one-handed dunk over a SBU defender, sparked a 7-0 run. Pulliam's 3-point play at the 12:28 mark extended the advantage to double-digit for the first time at 54-42.
 
The Green and Gold cushion ballooned to 16, 64-48, behind a 10-2 run. Miller scored the first five of the spurt, before a Pulliam fastbreak 3-pointer with less than five minutes remaining capped it. Over the game's final 14:19, the Tribe limited Stony Brook to just 5-of-25 from the floor as the Seawolves shot just 30.3% int he final 20 minutes and 31.7% (20-of-63) for the game. SBU was 9-of-38 (23.7%) from 3 for the game and just 2-of-15 (13.3%) in the second half. 
 
W&M finished the contest at 49% (25-of-51) from the field, including 10-of-26 (38.5%) from 3-point range. The Tribe connected on 16-of-20 (80%) at the free throw line, scored 22 fastbreak points and dished out 19 assists on its 25 made field goals.
 
Lowe recorded a game-high six assists and collected five rebounds. He moved into 17th place on the Tribe's career assists list with 272. Brockhoff finished with a career-high five assists to go with two steals, while sophomore Ryan Jackson, Jr. knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Pratt led Stony Brook with 19 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, and Brown III finished with 15 points, all in the first half. Richard Goods recorded a standout performance on the boards, securing 14 rebounds while also scoring seven points.
 
Up Next
The Tribe opens a three-game road trip next week on Monday night at Charleston. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network with Paul Fritschner and John Giannini on the call. W&M fans can also listen into the radio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley on the call. The broadcast will be available on The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg, the flagship station of the Tribe Sports Network.