Late Matt Rum 3-pointer, Clutch Defense Pushes Tribe Past Gardner-Webb

Williamsburg, Va. - Sophomore guard Matt Rum hit the game-winning 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:37 remaining, and the William and Mary men’s basketball team held Gardner-Webb scoreless over the final four minutes to pull out a thrilling 56-55 win in the Williamsburg Subregional of the 2010 Legend’s Classic on Friday night at Kaplan Arena. The Green and Gold (1-3) overcame some sloppy ball-handling by hitting 54.5 percent from the field to outdistance the Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-3) for its first win of the season.

Junior forward Quinn McDowell registered his second career double-double with a game-high 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Junior guard Kendrix Brown tied a career high with 10 points and added a career-best five steals, the most for a W&M player since February of 2008. Senior forward Marcus Kitts scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and blocked Gardner-Webb’s final 3-point attempt at the buzzer to preserve the one-point victory. The Tribe improved to 10-2 under head coach Tony Shaver in games decided by a single point.

After a Luke Davis 3-pointer gave Gardner-Webb a 6-4 lead five minutes into the game, the Green and Gold used an 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the opening half. Brown started the run with a mid-range jumper, before freshman Julian Boatner hit back-to-back threes. His second triple of the first half at the 13-minute mark put the College on top 12-6.

The two teams traded runs, but the College maintained its six-point advantage, 18-12, following a lay-up in traffic from McDowell off a nice pass from freshman Fred Heldring. Luke Davis’ third 3-pointer of the first half gave the Bulldogs the lead once again at 22-21 with 4:13 remaining. The teams traded buckets, before a McDowell free throw with just six seconds remaining in the half sent the game to the break tied at 27.

Gardner-Webb opened up a five-point advantage at 36-31 on a conventional 3-point play from Davis four minutes into the second half. The Tribe scored the game’s next eight points to retake the lead, 39-36, at the 11-minute mark of the second stanza. McDowell scored six points on the run, while Rum found Kitts for a dunk to ignited the Tribe faithful.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs answered back with a 3-pointer from Brian McNair less than 20 seconds later to tie the game and opened up its largest lead of the evening three minutes later. The contest remained tied at 44, before Gardner-Webb scored six straight, taking a 50-44 lead with 7:38 remaining. Buggs sparked the run with four of the six points, including a pair of free throws.

Gardner-Webb’s lead remained five, 55-50, following a hook shot in the lane from Stefon Johnson with 4:16 remaining, but it would be the last time the Runnin’ Bulldogs scored on the night as the College closed the game on a six-point run. After a Kyle Gaillard free throw, McDowell made a steal on the defensive end and found a streaking Boatner for a fast-break lay-up, cutting the Bulldog lead to 55-53 with 2:37 remaining. The Tribe defense forced a turnover, and W&M took the lead for good on its next possession. Kitts set a nice screen to free up Rum, and the Baltimore, Md., native drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing off a dish from Gaillard with 1:37 remaining to put the Tribe on top 56-55.

The Bulldogs had three chances at the game-winner, but each time came up short. Out of a timeout, Gardner-Webb’s leading scorer Jon Moore missed a driving lay-up with 21 seconds remaining, and McNair’s 3-point attempt from the left wing off the offensive rebound missed off the side iron.

After a pair of missed free throws, Gardner-Webb had one more chance. This time, the attempt did not get to the rim as Kitts blocked Moore’s 3-point attempt from the left side, and the Tribe celebrated a narrow 56-55 win. W&M did a masterful job defensively on Moore, who entered the game averaging 16.6 points per game, but was just 1-of-9 from the floor against the Tribe and finished with two points.

The Green and Gold shot 54.5 percent (18-of-33) from the floor, including a 58.8-percent (10-of-17) clip in the second half. The Tribe was 15-of-24 from the free throw line and outrebounded Gardner-Webb, 28-26. The Runnin’ Bulldogs finished the game hitting on 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the field and just 28 percent (7-of-25) from 3-point range. Gardner-Webb also finished with 10 steals, including six from McNair.

Davis led Gardner-Webb with 15 points, including four of the Bulldog’s seven 3-point field goals. Buggs was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 12 points, including a 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line. For the Tribe, Boatner scored eight points off the bench, hitting 3-of-5 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

Mercer defeated Western Carolina, 71-66, in the opening game of the Williamsburg Subregional on Friday afternoon. Brian Mills led the Bears with a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jeff Smith added 18 points and four assists in the win for Mercer. Mike Williams led four Western Carolina players in double digits with 16 points, while Brandon Boggs added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Tribe will host Mercer on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m. following the first game of the day between Western Carolina and Gardner-Webb at 3:30 p.m. Live stats for both games will be available at TribeAthletics.com. W&M fans can catch all the action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and Charlie Woollum on the call. The live video feed of the W&M-Mercer game can be purchased for $7.95 at TribeAthletics.com.