RICHMOND, Va. – Perhaps William & Mary saw a good deal of the game that was played right before theirs. The Tribe struggled out of the gates and didn’t play a good first half against James Madison, but some veterans had the idea that the second half wouldn’t be more of the same even though the first few minutes suggested otherwise.
“We didn’t want to go out like that,” said senior guard David Schneider, who hit a key shot that many will talk about for a while. “I think a lot of it had to do with team chemistry. We battled back pretty much every game this entire season, and it really showed tonight just how close we are. It wasn’t one single person bringing us back, it was all of us.”
Although Schneider said the entire team did, there was one player who sparked a lot of it. Senior Danny Sumner, arguably the team’s most talented player, has had his ups and downs in his career. But on Saturday night, he came alive in the second half when the team needed him the most. It was not unlike the way Northeastern made tough plays to pull off a double overtime win in the game right before this one.
James Madison started the second half well, at one point running their lead up to 44-30 with under 16 minutes to go. Sumner hit a three-pointer, and Schneider followed suit before a short jumper by Sumner and two free throws by Quinn McDowell brought the Tribe within four. Later, another three-pointer by Sumner brought the Tribe within two, and with 5:06 left he hit another to give William & Mary its first lead since they were up 10-9 in the early going.
“We were down by 14 and I was thinking we had to make a run,” Sumner said.
Even with all of that, the play that might have made the big difference came less than two minutes later. With the shot clock running down after a shot was blocked, the Tribe tracked down a loose ball and they got it to Schneider, who beat the shot clock with a deep three-pointer that found the bottom of the net for a 58-54 lead. Those who have seen the Tribe this year probably found it fitting, and while Sumner said he never doubted it was going once it left his hand, there was another who did and saw its impact.
“When he caught it, quite frankly, I thought it was going in because those plays happen,” said James Madison head coach Matt Brady. “Broken plays, with a senior taking the basketball, those plays change games.”
It certainly did that, as the Tribe would score five more to go up 63-54 before closing it out.
William & Mary surprised many with the regular season they had, as they were picked 10th in the preseason poll of CAA coaches, sports information directors and media. They picked up big wins in non-conference play and earned a bye in the tournament for the first time since it expanded to 12 teams. They’re happy to pull out the win in a manner similar to some others they have had this year, but they’re not content just yet.
“We want to win this thing,” said head coach Tony Shaver. “We’re not happy that we have a bye, we’re not happy to win the first game. A couple of years ago we knocked on the door of this thing, and one of these days we’re going to knock it down.”
Shaver talked about how resilient this team is and how they never give up, something Schneider cited as well. The Tribe had a target on their backs when they entered CAA play, and there were doubters after a home loss to UNC-Wilmington in early January and three straight losses later that month. Some may have wondered if wins over Wake Forest, Maryland and Richmond were flukes. But they battled back to earn the No. 3 seed, and now they hope to take more steps forward in what has already been a historic and record-setting season. Their seniors don’t want to go out any differently.
