Game 11: Championship - William & Mary vs. George Mason - First Half Update
> Live on-location in Richmond, VA at the CAA Tournament
Interesting fact: William & Mary is just one of five D-1 basketball teams to have been in existence for at least 50 years and never have appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
In the first four minutes or so William & Mary very much looked like a team playing in its first ever CAA Championship as they had several poor positions, including a shot clock violation. Mason on the other hand looked quite comfortable in the early going, sticking with what has been working, Will Thomas and Louis Birdsong. The two combined for the Patriot’s first eight points.
As it stands right now though Mason leads 19-11 at the 7:55 mark. William & Mary has been hoisting up a lot of three’s since they can’t really compete with the Patriot’s inside. Laimis Kisielius is almost single handedly keeping his team in the game, already with seven points, including a nice three pointer right in front of me. The Tribe has been bailed out big time by their scrappy play, specifically drawing two charges that nullified GMU baskets. They need to find an answer inside for Thomas though, who now is up to six points.
On another note, there are plenty of famous faces in the building, including renowned author John Feistein. Writer Michael Litos is also in the building. Litos is known for his book Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball a book that chronicled the 2006 CAA season when George Mason made its historic Final Four run.
Right before tip off another writer turned to me and said, “William & Mary is like the Giants; they are major underdogs and they have to beat the Patriots.” We’ll see if he’s right. See you all at halftime!
Interesting fact: William & Mary is just one of five D-1 basketball teams to have been in existence for at least 50 years and never have appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
In the first four minutes or so William & Mary very much looked like a team playing in its first ever CAA Championship as they had several poor positions, including a shot clock violation. Mason on the other hand looked quite comfortable in the early going, sticking with what has been working, Will Thomas and Louis Birdsong. The two combined for the Patriot’s first eight points.
As it stands right now though Mason leads 19-11 at the 7:55 mark. William & Mary has been hoisting up a lot of three’s since they can’t really compete with the Patriot’s inside. Laimis Kisielius is almost single handedly keeping his team in the game, already with seven points, including a nice three pointer right in front of me. The Tribe has been bailed out big time by their scrappy play, specifically drawing two charges that nullified GMU baskets. They need to find an answer inside for Thomas though, who now is up to six points.
On another note, there are plenty of famous faces in the building, including renowned author John Feistein. Writer Michael Litos is also in the building. Litos is known for his book Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball a book that chronicled the 2006 CAA season when George Mason made its historic Final Four run.
Right before tip off another writer turned to me and said, “William & Mary is like the Giants; they are major underdogs and they have to beat the Patriots.” We’ll see if he’s right. See you all at halftime!
posted by Joey, Staff at
7:27 PM
