WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - William & Mary men's basketball's second-half comeback came up short in a 104-96 loss to Campbell on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena during the program's annual Gold Rush Game. 

The Tribe (14-8, 5-5 CAA) cut as much as a 25-point first-half deficit to as little as two points with nine minutes to go. W&M closed to within a single possession on 10 occasions in the final 10 minutes, but Campbell had the answer each time. The Camels' D.J. Smith scored 39 points, which marked third most in Kaplan Arena history, to lead the visitors' charge. 

Juniors Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi and Reese Miller led the Tribe with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Vahlberg Fasasi was 7-of-10 from the field, including hitting his only 3-point attempt. In total, six W&M players scored in double figures. Senior Kyle Pulliam and sophomore Ryan Jackson, Jr. tallied 13 points apiece, while senior Chase Lowe added 11 and junior Kilian Brockhoff chipped in 10.  

 Campbell (10-13, 4-5 CAA) built its big first lead, hitting 11 of first 14 shots. A Chris Fields, Jr. layup stretched the Camels' advantage to 30-7 less than eight minutes into the contest. The visitors' reached its largest at 42-17 on a Jeremiah Johnson 3-pointer with 7:35 left in the opening half. 

W&M used a 9-1 run to close within 49-32 at the 3:29 mark on a Miller jumper. W&M hit 7-of-7 at the free throw line during the stretch. The margin was just 15, 55-40, with 28 seconds left in the opening half on a pair of Miller free throws. 

Campbell's lead was 21, 72-51, following a Fields Jr. dunk just over four minutes into the second half, before W&M mounted its comeback. The Tribe embarked on a 22-3 run over the next six and a half minutes to close within two points. 

W&M ended the stretch with 14 in a row. Brockhoff and Pulliam each tallied 3-point plays around Vahlberg Fasasi's 3-pointer. Three-straight Miller free throws narrowed the deficit to 75-73 with 9:10 remaining. 

In total, the Tribe closed to within a single possession 10 times but could get no closer than the two points.  The final time came on a Miller bucket to cut the margin to three, 99-96, with 32.9 seconds left. Campbell hit 5-of-6 from free throw line over the last 31 seconds to put the game away. 

W&M shot 64.3% (18-of-28) in the second half and finished the game at 58% (29-of-50). The Tribe hit 34-of-43 (79.1%) at the free throw line. The 34 made free throws tied the program record. Jackson, Jr. was a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line. The Tribe scored 32 fastbreak points. 

Smith hit 12-of-23 from the field, hitting six 3-pointers, and was 9-of-10 at the free throw line.  Johnson offered 18 points and five assists, hitting 6-of-12 from the field and all four free throws. Fields Jr. chipped in 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

The Camels finished the game at 53.8% (35-of-65), including 11-of-28 (39.3%) from 3-point range. Campbell was also 23-of-30 (76.7%) at the charity stripe. 

Up Next 
The Tribe opens a three-game road swing at UNCW on Thursday, Feb. 5. Tip-off is slated for a 7 p.m. start and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Fans can listen to the 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.