Written By: Jordan Jones
Staff Writer
This past Saturday, the William and Mary Tribe took a trip down interstate 64 to take on rival Old Dominion University in a battle of two teams with contrasting styles and going in opposite directions.
The Tribe, losers of five straight, came in hoping to play the spoiler role and derail the Monarchs Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title hopes. They would leave the Ted Constant Convocation Center disappointed as Old Dominion came away with a 68-44 victory. Old Dominion got off to a fast start in front of a packed house and jumped out to an early 12-0 lead.
Transfer Donte Hill played well scoring 11 points in the half. “We always try to come out and be excited,” Hill said. “Today more so, playing in front of a sold out crowd.” The Tribe did not go quietly however, going on a three point shooting barrage led by senior Quinn McDowell and sophomore Julian Boatner, scoring 11 and six points respectively and trimming the deficit, tying the game at 20.
Old Dominion reasserted their authority going on a 9-3 run to stretch the lead. This lead was maintained until halftime as the Monarchs took a comfortable 40-28 lead into the halftime break. William and Mary almost exclusively depended on the three point shot as seven of their 10 made field goals were from beyond on the arc.
Old Dominion enjoyed balanced scoring as they shot 60 percent from the field in the half. Old Dominion head coach Blaine Taylor was pleased with his team’s overall performance throughout the game. “Doesn’t get much better, playing in front of a packed house, a rivalry game,” Taylor said. “I thought we wore them [William and Mary] down with multiple players and tactics and eventually, got the better of them by a pretty good margin.”
The second half saw more strong play from the Monarchs as they were able to dominate in virtually every facet of the game. Three players scored in double figures led by senior Chris Cooper, who tallied 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Old Dominion played stingy defense in the second half, holding William and Mary to only one three point basket, and 33 percent shooting from the floor while forcing 15 turnovers. They also enjoyed a 35 to 21 edge in the rebound department. “We got beat by a better team,” William and Mary head coach Shaver said. “They’re very tough and physical and we allowed too many second shots.”
Certainly a strong all around effort for the Monarchs as they enter this last stretch of conference games after playing five games in 10 days. “We billed this as “separation week,” coach Taylor said. “We wanted to separate from the middle of the pack and possibly move up. We took care of business this week.”
The Monarchs have struggled with turnovers in recent weeks and were able to keep those to a minimum in this game with only 11. They will play James Madison University Thursday at the Ted as they look to finish strong in the CAA and win the conference championship once again.
Photo by Elaina Ellis
