WASHINGTON, D.C. — William & Mary men's basketball won its 20th game of the season and advanced to the CAA Quarterfinals with a 72-62 victory over Elon at CareFirst Arena on Saturday night. 

It marks the 10th time in school history that the Tribe has celebrated a 20-win season. The Tribe's impressive performance included 13 steals, a record for a Tribe team in a CAA Tournament game, and seven blocks. Capitalizing on Elon's 19 turnovers, W&M scored 29 points from those opportunities.

Junior Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi matched his career-high by dropping 25 points, hitting a career-best five out of seven 3-pointers, and shooting 8-for-11 from the field. Senior Chase Lowe delivered a solid near double-double, with eight points and 10 rebounds, while also snagging a career-high four steals and dishing out four assists. Junior Reese Miller added 13 points and four assists off the bench. 

The Tribe (20-11) set the tone early with a formidable defensive display, logging five blocks and seven steals in the first half. This effort limited Elon's chances and fueled a fast-paced attack that saw W&M score 12 points on fast breaks and dominate the paint with 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. 

Vahlberg Fasasi scored W&M's first nine points, hitting four-straight shots in the process. His lay-up off a Jones steal gave the Tribe a 9-5 lead four minutes into the game. 

A 9-0 Tribe run extended the lead to double figures. Senior Kyle Pulliam's fast-break lay-up off a steal capped the run and pushed the margin to 20-8 at the 8:47 mark. 

W&M led 26-13 after following a Miller 3-pointer with 6:14 left in the half. Elon (14-18) answered with a 13-2 run to close within two. A Ned Hull triple at the 1:59 mark cut the Tribe lead to 28-26. 

After a Vahlberg Fasasi 3-pointer opened the second half, the Phoenix scored five in a row. A Kacper Klaczek lay-up cut the gap to 38-36 just over three minutes into the final frame. 

The Tribe used a 7-0 run to push the lead back to double digits, where it remained for the majority of the final half. Vahlberg Fasasi connected on his fifth 3-pointer of the night to kick off the spurt, before Miller found Finn Lally for a lay-up to push the advantage to 54-44 with 9:42 left. W&M led by double-digits for the final 6:49 on the way to earning a spot in Sunday's CAA Quarterfinals. 

In the second half, W&M's defense and precision shooting at the free throw line extended their advantage. The Tribe forced 10 Elon turnovers, converting them into 19 points, while committing just six turnovers themselves. W&M hit 10 out of 12 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes. 

The Tribe limited Elon to 36.5% (19-of-52) shooting, including just 35.7% (10-of-28) in the second half. Offensively, the Tribe finished at 41.5% (22-of-53) shooting, including 8-of-20 from 3 (40%). W&M hit 20-of-28 (71.4%) at the free throw line and dished out 16 assists on its 22 made field goals. Pulliam bolstered the defense with two blocks and two steals, alongside three assists. Graduate student Jhei-R Jones tallied a season-high four steals on the night, while classmate Jo'el Emanuel posted eight points and five rebounds. 

Ned Hull led Elon with 15 points, hitting 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Chandler Cuthrell chipped in 13 points, making 7-of-9 free throws and grabbing six rebounds. Klaczek tallied two blocks, two steals, and eight rebounds. Randall Pettus II contributed 10 points, connecting on 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Phoenix hit 10-of-28 (35.7%) from 3-point range. 

Up Next 
The Tribe advances to take on No. 3 seed Hofstra on Sunday, March 8, at 8:30 p.m. in the CAA Quarterfinals. The game will be broadcast on FloCollege with Dave Ryan and Mack McCarthy on the call. Fans can listen into the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley and Brandon Britt '14 on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg in the flagship station of the Tribe Sports Network. Stay up to date with all the information and happenings for the CAA Championship by visiting TribeAthletics.com/MarchOnTribe.