WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary men's basketball secured a 97-89 victory over North Carolina A&T on Thursday night at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe's 28 assists, the fifth most in school history and the third-best total against a D1 opponent, fueled their high-scoring performance, with bench players contributing a hefty 43 points.

Junior Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi turned in a strong night with 19 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and four steals, tying his career-highs in both assists and steals. Junior Reese Miller also put up 19 points, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior Kilian Brockhoff chipped in 15 points and six rebounds, while graduate student Jhei-R Jones added 13 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. 

W&M  (12-6, 3-3 CAA) shot an impressive 57.9% (33-of-57) from the floor, its best in CAA play since 2023, while connecting on a season-best 56.3% (9-of-16) from 3-point range. The Tribe's 28 assists were a season-high and came compared just 10 turnovers.

Jones jump started the Tribe in the opening half with 10-straight points. He connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, and his lay-up at the 14:43 mark gave the home team a 16-9 lead. 

The Tribe advantage reached 12 behind six-straight points. Vahlberg Fasasi knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night, before a Ryan Jackson, Jr. lay-up pushed the margin to 33-21 with 6:14 left in the half. 

N.C. A&T  (7-9, 0-5 CAA) scored eight of the half's final nine points to draw with two at the break. Trent Middleton Jr. scored five in a row, and a Lewis Walker baseline jumper in closing seconds narrowed the gap to 42-40 at halftime. 

Both teams shot the ball exceptionally well in the second half with each connecting at a 66.7% clip from the field. The Tribe took advantage of the Aggies' 11 turnovers in the second half, converting them into 13 points, boosting its offensive efficiency. The home team showcased strong interior play, scoring 30 points in the paint.

W&M scored six-straight points as part of an 11-3 run to stretch the advantage back to double-digits, 55-45, on a Jackson, Jr. lay-up just four minutes into the second half. 

Walker, who scored a career-high 33 points on the night, closed the visitor within three, 67-64, thanks to an 3-point play at the 9:31 mark. 

Miller knocked down a 3-pointer on the ensuing Tribe possession to ignite a 10-2 run. Vahlberg Fasasi found Jo'el Emanuel for a dunk in transition before knocking down a triple to extend the lead to 77-66 with 7:47 remaining. 

W&M kept N.C. A&T at bay hitting nine of its final 10 shots from the floor. The Aggies could only get as close at 93-88 on a Zamoku Weluche-Ume dunk with 31 seconds remaining. W&M was a perfect 4-of-4 at the charity stripe over final 28 seconds to preserve the win. 

Walker was 11-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3, and 8-of-10 at the free throw line in scoring his game-high 33 points. Middleton Jr. added 20 points, making 8-of-12 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. Weluche-Ume added 15 points and recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds. 

N.C. A&T finished the game shooting 59.3% (32-of-54) from the floor, including 8-of-18 from 3 (44.4%), and 17-of-23 (73.9%) at the free throw line. The Aggies held a 30-25 advantage  on the glass. 

Senior Chase Lowe, graduate student Cade Haskins, and Jackson, Jr. each finished with seven points. Lowe added a team-high six assists to go with four rebounds. Emanuel posted a season-high five assists in the win. 

Up Next
The Tribe will have Saturday off and return to action next Thursday at home against UNCW. Tip-off is set 7 p.m. from Kaplan Arena and the game will be broadcast regionally on MASN with Jay Colley and Brandon Britt '14 on the call. W&M fans can listen into the radio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network with Andrew Phillips and Bobby Dwyer on the call. The broadcast will be available on The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg, the flagship station of the Tribe Sports Network.