Monday, Nov. 4, William and Mary men’s basketball (1-0, 0-0 CAA) defeated Dickinson (0-1, 0-0 Centennial) 84-36 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
The victory marked head coach Brian Earl’s first win in his Green and Gold debut. After spending seven seasons as Cornell’s head coach, Earl accepted the position in spring 2024.
The first half saw explosive offensive energy from the Tribe.
Just 19 seconds into the matchup, senior guard/forward Gabe Dorsey opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the paint. Dorsey continued his offensive streak with another three and a layup in the second and third minutes, respectively.
Despite several offensive efforts from the Red Devils, the Green and Gold continued dominating. After Dickinson freshman guard Andrew Cerullo put the away team on the scoreboard in the fifth minute, graduate student forward Keller Boothby immediately responded with a three-point jumper.
Though the Red Devils began picking up the pace in the final 10 minutes of the half, Dickinson ultimately failed to shake the Tribe’s lead. After the halftime buzzer, William and Mary led 42-19, shooting 33.3% from behind the arc and 48.3% from inside the paint. Dorsey led in scoring for the Tribe, racking up 13 total points.
Senior forward Noah Collier started the second half with a fast break layup and a free throw, extending William and Mary’s lead to 45-19. With 16 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the game, junior guard Isaiah Edmond converted a free throw for the Red Devils. Less than a minute later, a layup from Dickinson senior guard Brandon Wiercinski narrowed the deficit to 45-22.
The Tribe continued capitalizing on its offensive play in the second half.
Following a 24th-minute layup from junior forward Finn Lally, junior guard Kyle Pulliam and Dorsey scored back-to-back threes in the 25th minute. With 12:55 left on the clock, junior guard Kyle Frazier’s three-point jumper put the Green and Gold ahead at 56-22.
William and Mary continued firing on all cylinders in the final 10 minutes of the game. After freshman guard Isaiah Mbeng successfully converted two free throw points, senior forward Caleb Dorsey’s jumper extended the Tribe’s lead to 72-29 in the 32nd minute. Less than a minute Later, Mbeng responded to a Dickinson free throw with a three-pointer.
The Tribe ended the night with a 84-36 victory. Dorsey led in scoring with 16 points, followed by Mbeng (11) and Pulliam (10).
As a transfer student, Pulliam appreciates Tribe basketball’s tight-knit community.
“It’s been a blessing to find a place with this much culture,” Pulliam said. “Everybody is close with each other and plays for each other.”
Earl expressed anticipation toward facing formidable opponents and furthering the team’s development throughout the season.
“We’ve got to make sure we understand the process,” Earl said. “It’s not about the wins and the losses yet.”
The Tribe looks to secure another early season win Friday, Nov. 8 against Radford (0-1, 0-0 Big South) at Donald N. Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.