The scene was all too familiar for a basketball program that has endured over a century of postseason mediocrity.

p. Georgia State University, who finished 12th in the CAA, took control of Friday’s opening-round CAA tournament game with the Tribe soon after the first media timeout and leading by nine points. No fifth seed had ever lost to a 12th seed in the tourney.

p. When GSU guard D.J. Jones banked in a lay-up to put his team up by six points with 1:25 remaining, the two dozen or so fans in the Tribe’s student section went silent. The Tribe was teetering on the brink of another postseason low.

p. Seemingly everything that went right on offense for the Tribe all year long had gone awry in the first 38 minutes. Nothing was more glaring than seniors Nathan Mann and Laimis Kisielius’ shooting woes. Both are 1,000-point career-scorers, but Friday they combined for only 11 points and were 0 of 11 from three-point range.

p. It would have been a disastrous end to their collegiate careers, especially after they propelled the program into the upper echelon of the CAA standings for the first time in a decade.

p. “They have been so loyal to our program the last four years,” Head Coach Tony Shaver said. “There’s no way we wouldn’t be loyal to them on the court.”

p. With the clock running down, sophomore guard David Schneider hit the game-winning eight points, including the game-winning NBA three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left.

p. “When I hit it, it was almost like I was too excited and I didn’t know what to do,” Schneider said. “Hitting that shot gave them [Kisielius and Mann] an extra chance to be together as a team for another day and to continue their career.”

p. Mann and Kisielius were the cornerstones of Shaver’s first recruiting class which included Kyle Carrabine, walk-on Chris Stratton and Edwin Ofori Attah, who left the College after his freshman year.

p. Coming out of high school, Mann was primarily a jump-shooter. He gained strength and became a lockdown defender later in his career. Kisielius entered as a wing player and developed into an inside and outside threat on offense.

p. While they were not as highly touted as some of Shaver’s more recent recruits, Mann and Kisielius were consistent contributors from day one. Mann averaged 7.8 points and started 18 games his freshman season, while Kisielius earned CAA all-rookie accolades and averaged 8.7 points, second highest on the team.

p. Mann and Kisielius will also be remembered for their resilient leadership. As Shaver’s program endured change, the duo matured both on and off the court.

p. Ofori Attah, who started six games and averaged 6.3 points and 2.1 rebounds his freshman year, was the first of four impact players who left while Kisielius and Mann were on the team. Ofori Attah moved back to his home in Germany following the 2004-05 season. The following spring, the Tribe’s leading scorer, freshman guard Calvin Baker, transferred to Virginia. Corey Cofield, an all-CAA third team member his first two years, left midway through his senior season in 2006-07. Adam Payton’s graduation last May completed the exodus.

p. “When you’re building a program, you’ll have a lot of change and people leaving,” Shaver said. “These guys [Kisielius and Mann] have been solid and so loyal.”

p. **SATURDAY**

One of Shaver’s biggest concerns heading into the Tribe’s CAA quarterfinal match-up with Old Dominion was whether his two starting seniors would rise to the occasion and lead the team against the red-hot no.4 seed Monarchs, winners in six of their last seven games.

p. “Somehow, someway between now and tomorrow we need to get them to just relax a little and play the game,” he said after the Tribe offense relied almost entirely on Schneider and sophomore Danny Sumner Friday.

p. Mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, Mann discussed better shot selection with Shaver in the hours prior to tip-off. In the Tribe’s four previous games, he had made only 4 of his 37 three-point attempts. In the same four games, Kisielius’ offensive output dipped to 5.5 points, half of his season average. Some speculated that a mid-season injury to Kisielius’ toe hindered his play.

p. “It definitely had some kind of influence on my game, but I never made an excuse for myself,” Kisielius said of the injury. “I knew I had to show up for the tournament for us to succeed.”

p. Shaver offered up another reason for his senior’s offensive swoon.

p. “They played very uptight the last two weeks of the season,” Shaver said. “The reason was they wanted so badly to take us to the league’s top four. They weren’t missing shots because of nervousness, but because they were pressing so hard to be successful.”

p. Saturday afternoon, a small group of VCU fans joined the Tribe’s student section, turned their yellow t-shirts inside out and began rooting for Kisielius and the College. “No one messes with a Lithuanian,” they yelled from the front row. No Monarch player came close to stopping Kisielius. He poured in 16 points, his highest total since scoring a career-high 26 points Jan. 26 against the same ODU team.

p. Mann provided the last second heroics, nailing a three-point shot that put the Tribe up 63-60 with 7.5 seconds remaining. He finished with 10 points on 2-6 shooting; the first time since Feb. 20 against Drexel that he reached double-digits.

p. “The two guys I’m proudest of are the two guys [Kisielius and Mann] sitting right here … They’ve been the keys to the turnaround in our program and they were the keys to our win tonight,” Shaver said after the game.

p. **MONDAY**

p. Asked to describe his emotions following the Tribe’s heartbreaking loss to George Mason in the CAA championship, Kisielius said, “It’s the last game of my career here. That’s all I’m going to say.”

p. His red-eyes were enough to reveal how he felt. Just 24 hours after celebrating his game-winning shot against VCU, a sullen Kisielius put his head down after answering the question. An improbable run through the tournament suddenly ended on a sour note.

p. “The last day was physically and emotionally exhausting,” Shaver said. “A lot of people didn’t give them a chance to get to the final. A lot of people said they couldn’t win. But they fought hard.”

p. While the Tribe fell short of its first-ever NCAA tournament. Schneider believes both Kisielius and Mann cemented a legacy of success and leadership for the basketball program.

p. “They were the face of something special,” he said. “It’s up to me and the younger guys to keep building off that foundation.”

__After three last-second wins, Tribe falls to GMU in first-ever CAA title game appearance__

p. Standing in the way of the Tribe and its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance Monday night was 2006 Final Four participant George Mason University. But after three consecutive last-second wins, including a victory over Old Dominion University and an upset of top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth University, the College seemed up for the challenge.

p. Its three-straight victories buoyed the team’s confidence after a late-season swoon that saw the Tribe drop six of its last seven games and fall out of contention for a first-round bye, as its long-range shooting suffered.

p. “Well, we were just saving all the makes for this weekend, I think,” Head Coach Tony Shaver said prior to the start of the tournament. “We’re counting on those going in the hole for us this weekend.”

p. The Tribe proved Shaver right in its first game, though the shots fell late in the contest.

p. The College’s tournament run started a week ago Friday when the fifth-seeded Tribe arrived at the Richmond Coliseum and met Georgia State University in a matinee matchup. For most of the game, it seemed as though the College would bow out in the first round of yet another CAA tournament, but the Tribe hung around thanks to the efforts of sophomores David Schneider and Danny Sumner. Sumner kept the College in the game, displaying his versatility while compiling 17 points. Meanwhile, Schneider saved the Tribe, scoring the College’s last eight points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left. Schneider’s shot catapulted the Tribe to its fourth-ever victory in the 23-year history of the CAA Tournament and sent the College into the quarterfinals to face ODU.

p. In Saturday’s quarterfinal, the Tribe team that played Friday had transformed into a more efficient unit offensively, as Sumner continued to showcase his talents and boost the College. Senior forward Laimis Kisielius provided the Tribe with additional offense and his classmate Nathan Mann proved to be the difference-maker late despite recent shooting struggles. Mann hit two critical three-pointers down the stretch to spur the Tribe’s victory. His trey with 7.5 seconds left came after Head Coach Tony Shaver called a play designed for seniors Kisielius and Mann. The two executed it to perfection, as Kisielius recorded the assist on Mann’s game-winning three-pointer.

p. “I couldn’t be happier for him to knock in that last shot,” Shaver said. “And we went to him the last play. We ran a play that involved our two seniors and they made the play to win the ballgame for us.”

p. Mann’s trey launched his team into a new world – Sunday at the CAA Tournament. Not since 1997 had the College made the semifinals and not since 2002 had the Tribe defeated its Sunday opponent VCU.

p. But none of that much mattered as the College showed the same patience offensively and intensity defensively that helped them scalp the Monarchs Saturday. And with the game on the line again, the Tribe delivered. This time Kisielius had the honors, banking home a six-foot leaner with 3.0 seconds remaining that sent the Tribe faithful into euphoria and VCU’s home crowd into shock.

p. Not only did Kisielius’s shot put the College into its first-ever CAA final, but it also sent the no. 1 seed packing, leaving the Rams out of the conference title game and marking the first time since 2000 that the top seed had not played in the final. The win also marked the only time in tournament history that the fifth-seed defeated the one-seed, allowing the Tribe to become the first fifth-seed to play in the championship game.

p. In front of an announced crowd of over 9,000 and a national television audience on ESPN, the Tribe walked onto the court Monday night with a chance at making history. The College entered the game holding the unpleasant distinction of being one of five teams with at least 50 years of NCAA Division I experience to not make the tournament.

p. True to Tribe fashion this season, however, defense kept the game close, as the College battled through bouts of poor shooting and shaky rebounding. But when shots started to fall, the game tightened. The College trailed 27-26 at intermission as Kisielius continued his torrid tournament pace, sinking a buzzer-beater jumper to end the half and netting 15 first half points. But after the break, Mason broke open a close game, using an 11-2 run to gain a foothold that it would never relinquish.

p. The Patriots led from the get-go, but the Tribe hung tough, eventually trimming the deficit to seven before Mason reclaimed its hold on the game.

p. After forty minutes, the College found itself still a member of the old non-tournament teams, falling to the Patriots 68-59.
However, the Tribe took a giant step toward erasing itself from that list this weekend, doubling its tournament win total to six and having three players – Kisielius, Schneider and Sumner – named to the All-Tournament team.

p. “I hope we create a little bit of stir at William and Mary about basketball,” Shaver said.

**First round: Friday, March 7**
__Tribe 58, Georgia State 57__
After struggling through the first 35 minutes of the game, the Tribe made the necessary plays down the stretch, led by the clutch play of sophomore guard David Schneider, who scored eight points in the final minute, including the game-winning three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining.

p. **Quarterfinals: Saturday, March 8**
__Tribe 63, Old Dominion 60__
The Tribe locked down ODU big man Gerald Lee in the second half, holding him to only six points in the final 20 minutes, and were led offensively by Laimus Kisielius and Danny Sumner. Nathan Mann hit the game-winning three-pointer (above) with just over seven seconds left in the game.

p. **Semifinals: Sunday, March 9**
__Tribe 56, VCU 54__
Kisielius and Sumner once again led the Tribe on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 23 and 19 points, respectively. The Tribe’s defense locked down the potent VCU offense down the stretch, and Kisielius put in a bank shot in the lane with three seconds left to score the game-winner.

**Finals: Monday, March 10**
p. __Mason 68, Tribe 59__
Down only one point at the half, the Tribe began to show its fatigue at having to play four tournament games in as many days. Behind the play of seniors Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas, Mason began to pull away, despite the best efforts of Kisielius, who finished with 22 points.

With all of the important events happening throughout the world, from politics to foreign affairs to personal tragedies, it’s often easy for me to feel as though sports pale in comparison. And for good reason. But there are also certain times when I am reminded of just how important and meaningful sports can be.

p. Monday night was one of those times.

p. My most lasting memory of the Tribe’s improbable run to the CAA Tournament Championship game will not be sophomore David Schneider rattling in a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left, saving the Tribe from a first round upset defeat against Georgia State.

p. It won’t be Nathan Mann, after having struggled mightily through his first game and a half of tournament play, hitting a game-winning three with 7.5 seconds left to lead his team past bitter rival ODU in the second round.

p. It won’t be Laimus Kisielius putting the Tribe on his back against conference leader VCU, vaulting the College into its first-ever CAA title game with his game-winning bank shot with three seconds left.

p. It won’t even be looking up at the Jumbo-Tron at the Richmond Coliseum and seeing the Tribe being televised live on ESPN.

p. It will be the moment late in the second half of the team’s championship game matchup against George Mason, with the Tribe clearly worn down, out-matched and facing a considerable deficit. Nothing short of a miracle comeback would allow the Tribe to beat a talented, experienced Mason squad. It was then, from my seat on press row, that I heard a resounding chant of “Let’s Go Tribe” rise up from the College’s cheering section behind me.
And while at that moment I did my very best to keep my impartial reporter’s hat on, I could recall few times in my life when I had ever been more proud to be a part of something than I did right then.

p. It’s not just that the team defied every expectation, upset two teams that were in the NCAA Tournament last year, and did so in impressive, exciting fashion. It’s that the team made us believe. The fact that they did so, given the program’s tradition of losing records and lackluster fan support, is nothing short of remarkable. And the fact that they were able to unite the school, bringing together students, alumni, parents and fans in support of the team, after many members of the same groups were so sharply divided just one month ago, is something far more meaningful than the team’s on-court accomplishments.

p. Last year’s eighth-place finish in the conference was a step forward for the Tribe. This year’s run to the CAA finals has been a quantum leap. Not only did the team prove itself as being among the CAA’s elite, but it brought the program a level of national attention and exposure that would have been unthinkable at the start of the season. Next year looks promising as well, as the Tribe will field a stacked roster, led by emerging stars Schneider and Danny Sumner, along with Arkansas transfer Sean McCurdy.

p. But for now, it is essential to recognize the contributions of the senior class, particularly Kisielius and Mann. Perhaps even more important than their scoring ability has been their on-court leadership, which was on full display at the CAAs. Most of all, with the aid of CAA Coach of the Year Tony Shaver, they’ve helped turn around a team and create a level of excitement that this program hasn’t seen in its history, while at the same time bringing back unity to a campus that so sorely needed it.

p. And for that, we all have reason to be thankful.

p. __E-mail Jeff Dooley at jadool@wm.edu.__

**Women’s Basketball**
__Tribe opens conference tournament with win__
The Tribe women’s squad defeated Georgia State University 82-60 in the first round of the CAA Tournament. Senior Kyra Kaylor led four College starters in double figures with 17. The Tribe built a 42-32 halftime advantage behind 61 percent shooting from beyond the arc before ripping off a 12-2 run to open the second half and bury the Panthers. Sophomore Courtney Portell led an impressive three-point attack for the College, canning three of six treys, while classmate Tiffany Benson notched 15 second-half points. The Tribe faces seconde-seeded James Madison University today at noon in the quarterfinals.

p. **Baseball**
__College splits pair of games with state foes__
The Tribe split a pair of non-conference home contests this week as junior first baseman Mike Sheridan was named the CAA Co-Player of the Week. Freshman Tim Norton pitched five innings and allowed four runs, but he did not earn a decision in the College’s 7-6 loss to the University of Richmond Tuesday. The Tribe led 6-4 entering the sixth inning before a three-run outburst by the Spiders put Richmond ahead for good and saddled the Tribe with their first home loss of the season. The College rebounded a day later as senior catcher Tim Park led an energetic Tribe offense with a home run and two RBIs in a 12-3 victory over Virginia Military Institute.