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Daniel Dixon three sends William and Mary to CAA title game

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wm-logoIt will got down in lore as one of the best Colonial Athletic Association Tournament games ever played, all be it a semifinal. Big play after big play, but none bigger than Marcus Thornton finding Daniel Dixon in the left corner for a 3-pointer to send the William and Mary men’s basketball team to its second straight CAA Championship Game and fourth in the last eight years with a 92-91 victory over Hofstra.

In the first double OT tournament game since 2010, Thornton set a CAA Tournament record with 37 points and sophomore Omar Prewitt added a career-high 33. The Tribe improved to 20-11, marking the first back-to-back 20-win seasons for W&M in 64 years, while Hofsta fell to 20-13.

After the Tribe fought back from a six-point deficit midway through the second half to tie it at 57, Hofstra connected on three straight 3-pointers to open its largest lead of nine points with five minutes remaining. Three straight Prewitt points drew W&M within 70-68, but Brian Bernardi answered with a 3-pointer from the corner to push the Pride lead to five with 1:41 remaining.

Trailing by five with less than a minute to go, Thornton scored the final five points of regulation. He converted an old-fashion 3-point play after a driving lay-up and knocked down a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to tie the score at 73. Hofstra’s Moussa Kone had a chance at the winner, but his hook was off the mark, and Thornton pulled down the rebound to send it to overtime.

The Tribe scored the opening five points of the first extra period, but Hofstra answered with seven straight to take an 80-78 lead on another Bernardi 3-pointer with 2:01 left. Prewitt hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing Tribe possession to tie the game, but Juan’ya Green again had the answer for the Pride with a deep 3-pointer from the left side.

Not to be outdone, Thornton responded for the Tribe less than 10 seconds later, hitting a triple from the right wing with 42.7 seconds left. Hofstra had a chance to take the lead on a 3-pointer and two free throws with less than 15 seconds remaining, but each were off the mark. Thornton’s game-winning attempt from the right side in the closing seconds was no good, sending the contest to a second OT.

W&M led for the majority of the second extra period, but the teams traded buckets. A Terry Tarpey driving lay-up to beat the shot clock gave the Tribe an 89-87 advantage with 44 seconds remaining, but on offensive rebound on the ensuing Pride possession set up a Green 3-pointer, giving Hofstra a 90-89 advantage with 22 seconds remaining.

After a potential lead-changing Thornton leaner was off the mark, W&M was forced to foul Kone on the rebound. He hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to extend the Pride lead to 91-89, setting up the Tribe’s late-game heroics. Thornton dribbled up the left side and rose for a the game-winning 3-pointer, but Hofstra’s defense rotated to contest the Tribe’s all-time leading scorer. Instead of forcing the short, the Upper Marlboro, Md., native dumped the ball into the corner to a wide-open Dixon, and he canned the game-winner with 0.8 seconds remaining. The Pride threw the ensuing inbounds pass off the scoreboard, and the Tribe celebrated its second straight CAA title game appearance.

The Tribe shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field, hitting 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range. W&M connected on 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) from the free throw line in the victory. Tarpey recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Dixon chipped in seven on a pair of 3-pointers, including the game-winner. Thornton finished the night at 13-of-29 from the floor, including 6-of-15 from 3-point range. Prewitt was an extremely efficient 9-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He finished with career highs at the free throw line, hitting 12-of-18.

On the other side, Hofstra connected on 49.3 percent (33-of-67) for the game, including 12-of-35 (34.3 percent) from 3-point range. The Pride held a 41-37 advantage on the glass and a 22-5 cushion in second chance points, but were just 13-of-25 (52 percent) from the free throw line.

The Tribe started the game on a roll, hitting five of its first six shots from the floor. During the stretch, Prewitt scored on back-to-back driving lay-ups, while Thornton and Tarpey each knocked down 3-pointers. As a results, W&M opened up a 12-6 lead less than four minutes into the contest. The margin ballooned to double-digit at 19-9 as Tarpey found a cutting Tom Schalk for a lay-up with 12:35 remaining in the opening half.
Hofstra used a 15-1 run highlighted by the play of Green and Rokas Gustys to surge in front. Gutsys scored all eight of his points during the stretch, while Green added five. A Green lay-up put the Pride in front, and Gutsys capped the run with a dunk for a 26-22 Hofstra lead.

Like he has throughout his career, Thornton answered the bell for the Green and Gold, canning three straight 3-pointers to push W&M back in front 34-29 with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Thornton (16) and Prewitt (11) combined for 27 of the Tribe’s 35 first-half points as W&M led 35-32 at the intermission.

Hofstra’s Dion Nesmith scored the opening four points of the second half to retake the lead. His jumper a minute and a half into the period put the Pride in front, 36-35. W&M reclaimed the lead with five straight points, including a 3-pointer from Thornton.

After a patented Thornton step-back jumper, freshman Greg Malinowski pulled down an offensive rebound and found Prewitt in the corner for a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to seven, 47-40, with 14:21 left.

Hofstra responded once again with a 13-0 run to move back ahead by six. Nesmith scored five straight, including a 3-pointer, before two Kone free throws at the 9:44 left gave the Pride a 53-47 lead.

Green led Hofstra with 26 points and seven assists, while Nesmith added 21 points and five assists before fouling out. Bernardi finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to go with Kone’s 11 points and six rebounds. Gustys led the Pride with nine rebounds.

The Tribe faces Northeastern in the CAA Championship Game on Monday night at 7 p.m. from Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. The game will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network with Mike Corey and Ron Thompson on the call.

Tribe fans can also catch the action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley and Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com. Keep up on all the happenings in Baltimore with the Tribe CAA Championship Fan Guide, click HERE to access the fan guide.

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