Sunday, March 8, William and Mary men’s basketball’s (20-12, 10-8 CAA) Coastal Athletic Association tournament run came to an end after falling in the quarterfinals to Hofstra (24-10, 12-6 CAA) 92-61 at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Tribe kicked off the CAA tournament in the second round as the No. 6 seed with a 72-62 victory against No. 11 Elon (14-18, 6-12 CAA) Saturday, March 7.
The team set the tone early in the game with its defense, recording seven steals and five blocks in the first half.
The Tribe turned those seven steals into easy baskets on the other end, scoring 12 points off the fast break in the first half.
In the teams’ two previous meetings, the Tribe recorded a negative turnover differential.
For William and Mary head coach Brian Earl, the fix was simple.
“At times when we ask, ‘Coach, what are we supposed to do on defense?’ we are trying to get very technical, and he just tells us to play harder, and that’s often the solution,” junior forward Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi said. “I think when we play hard, and we press up full-court, it is tough to play against us.”
The Tribe attacked Elon on the half-court relentlessly. William and Mary scored 16 of its 35 first-half points in the paint. The Green and Gold also earned 16 free-throw attempts compared to Elon’s 10.
Fasasi scored the first nine points for William and Mary, matching his career-high and leading the Tribe with 25 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. Fasasi also recorded his season-best performance from the three, making five at a whopping 71.4% clip.
Both teams had extensive scoring runs in the first half. A 9-0 run extended the Tribe’s lead into double figures as senior guard Kyle Pulliam pushed the margin to 20-8 at the 9-minute mark. However, Elon responded to the Tribe’s 26-13 lead with a 13-2 run of its own, fueled by redshirt sophomore guard Ned Hull.
Despite Elon’s physicality and strong coaching, the Tribe played to its opponent’s strengths offensively. Junior guard Reese Miller recorded 13 points and four assists off the bench, and senior guard Chase Lowe snagged a career-high four steals and four assists. Lowe also posted 10 rebounds and eight points for the Tribe.
Entering the second half, Elon graduate student forward Kacper Klaczek went head-to-head with Fasasi, narrowing the deficit to 38-36. However, the Tribe responded with a 7-0 run, extending its lead to double digits. Fasasi connected his career-high fifth three-pointer of the night before Miller followed with a layup, pushing the score to 54-44.
The Tribe’s offense extended its advantage at the free-throw line, hitting 10-12 in the final stretch of the game.
“There [were] a lot of nerves associated with this game,” Earl said. “They are so well coached, so well prepared, and I am proud we hung on for dear life out there, made a few shots, and that’s what made the difference between this game and our last.”
Both Earl and Fasasi said there was added motivation of avenging their two regular-season losses to Elon.
“I think everyone on the team felt like we owed them one, and we went out there, and we showed them who we are,” Fasasi said.
The Tribe looked to secure its second victory of the tournament against No. 3 Hofstra, whom the Green and Gold defeated 89-82 Saturday, Jan. 26 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
In the regular season win, the Tribe succeeded largely by limiting the impact of junior guard and 2025-26 CAA Player of the Year Cruz Davis.
This time around, however, Davis scored 30 points, going 9-15 from the field and 5-9 from outside the paint.
Besides Davis, graduate student guard German Plotnikov, who missed the regular season matchup, troubled the Tribe with 17 points.
“Hofstra has two guards who pose a significant challenge,” Earl said. “They are well-coached and represent a strong program.”
The Pride started the matchup firing on all cylinders, shooting 10-19 and securing a 50-33 lead at the end of the half.
Despite Hofstra’s dominance, Fasasi continued his strong play from the previous night, scoring eight points and hitting two three-pointers.
Although Hofstra’s three-point shooting cooled down, the Tribe failed to cut the lead, largely due to its poor shooting performance. In the second half, the Tribe shot just 5-24 from the field and 1-12 from outside the paint.
Graduate student forward Jo’el Emanuel led the Tribe in scoring in the second half, racking up 13 points. Unable to apply any pressure to Hofstra, however, the Tribe exited the CAA tournament with a 92-61 loss.
Despite the difficult end to the season, Fasasi expressed gratitude for fans’ steadfast support.
“We had a lot of people come out, that was fun, and that gave us a boost before the games,” Fasasi said.
Earl echoed this sentiment.
“William and Mary is a premier academic institution in the world, and what I’ve experienced in my history is that people have a loyalty to a brand like that,” he said. “I’m not sure I know everybody who is here, because they are coming from all over the place to support our institution, but when you see people up there bleeding the green and gold, it goes to show you what it’s all about.”
