Tobacco Road Unkind to W&M Basketball

Source from:  By John Harvey The Virginia Gazette November 17, 2007  11/19/2007

Tony Shaver has many fond memories of North Carolina. He grew up in High Point and played collegiate for the Tar Heels under legendary coach Dean Smith. Shaver's latest stroll down Tobacco Road wasn't as memorable, as his William & Mary basketball team dropped a 66-47 decision to 21st-ranked North Carolina State Thursday night at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The Tribe shot just 26.3% from the field and were outscored in the paint 36-16 en route to their second straight loss to a ranked opponent. J.J. Hickson turned in a career night for the Wolfpack, scoring 31 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting, and added seven rebounds. Brandon Cost­ner posted a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Courtney Fells added 10 points and five boards. Much like its opener against George­town, W&M (0-2) held its own, for a nationally ranked opponent, for most of the game. David Schneider scored all of his points in the first half as the Tribe trailed 21-20 midway through the first half. NC State (1-0) closed the half on a 15-3 run, as Gavin Grant, Fells and Cos­tner scored four points apiece during the spurt as the Wolfpack built a 39-26 lead at intermission. Hickson opened the second half with eight straight points as NC State built a commanding 43-27 lead with 17:22 left. The Tribe answered with a 13-2 spurt of its own, thanks to balanced production from the entire team. Chris Darnell and Peter Stein scored four points apiece and Nathan Mann buried a 3-pointer to start the rally. Kisielius added a stickback to trim the lead to 49-44 with 8:42 left. That would be as close as the Tribe would get, as NC State pulled away. Hickson netted four points and Costner and Fells buried 3-pointers to put the game out of reach. Kisielius paced with 12 points and four rebounds. Schneider had nine points, six rebounds and six steals, while Darnell added eight points. The Tribe will be back in action Nov. 20, when they conclude a three-game road trip with a contest against Wagner. Game time is 7 p.m. Enditem