William & Mary Tops Elon 72-62, Advances in CAA Tournament

Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi buried five three-pointers and poured in 25 points as sixth-seeded William & Mary dismantled 11th-seeded Elon 72-62 in the second round of the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament in Washington, D.C., ending the Phoenix's season and pushing the Tribe into a quarterfinal matchup with third-seeded Hofstra.

Fasasi, wearing number 16 for the Tribe, was the dominant force from the opening minutes. He shot 8-of-11 from the field, connected on 5-of-7 attempts from three-point range, and went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. He had already piled up 12 of those points by halftime, helping William & Mary carry a 35-31 lead into the break.

The game's decisive moment came after intermission. William & Mary reeled off a 7-0 run in the second half, stretching the lead to 54-44 with 9:44 remaining. Elon, which entered the tournament at 14-18 overall and 6-12 in conference play, never seriously threatened after that burst. William & Mary led for 94 percent of the game according to ESPN's game-flow metrics, with a largest lead of 13 points.

Reese Miller added 13 points for the Tribe, while Chase Lowe contributed eight points, 10 rebounds and four steals. The turnover differential told much of the story: Elon committed 19 turnovers to William & Mary's 11, and the Tribe converted that advantage into 13 steals as a team compared to eight for the Phoenix.

Ned Hull kept Elon competitive for stretches, finishing with a team-leading 15 points and four assists. Chandler Cuthrell chipped in 13 points and six rebounds, and Randall Pettus II added 10 points with two steals. But the Phoenix shot just 37 percent from the field on 19-of-52 attempts, and the early deficit proved too steep to overcome. William & Mary, meanwhile, shot 42 percent overall and 40 percent from three-point range.

The Tribe's control was established before halftime. William & Mary seized the lead with 16:36 remaining in the first half and did not trail again for the duration, with Jo'el Emanuel punctuating a strong second half by throwing down a dunk that drew a reaction from the capacity crowd.

With the win, William & Mary advanced to face Hofstra in the CAA quarterfinals on March 8 at 8:30 p.m. The Tribe entered that matchup having secured their 20th win of the season, a program milestone for a team that finished the regular season 10-8 in conference play.