Semifinal No. 2: William & Mary Holds Off Northeastern, 47-45

The first CAA Tournament semifinal, featuring top-seeded Old Dominion and fifth-seeded VCU, was an instant classic. The second game, No. 3 William & Mary’s 47-45 victory over second-seeded Northeastern was just as exciting, but not for the same reasons.

The fans who remained after game one saw William & Mary build a 31-17 halftime lead. The Tribe made four of their first eight from outside, before cooling off, as they ended the half five for 13 from beyond the arc. That was mostly due to David Schneider missing all four of his three-point attempts.

Northeastern’s struggles against the Tribe’s defensive sets meant they only shot 24 percent for the half, with Matt Janning only scoring four in the period, going one-for-six from the field and missing all four of his three attempts. Nkem Ojougboh couldn’t do much inside either, as he went 0-for-three from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

Schneider didn’t score for William & Mary until he nailed a three with 35.9 left to put the Tribe up for good. Northeastern missed seven opportunities to tie or win it in the final half minute. That meant the Huskies, who outscored the Tribe 28-16 in a second half they dominated, fell one basket short.

Danny Sumner was the leading scorer for William & Mary on the night. He managed eight points, while Marcus Kitts scored seven and grabbed nine boards. Manny Adako was the leading scorer on the night, as he had 14 and seven rebounds. Janning managed 12 on a miserable shooting night. The senior was four-for-14 from the field and missed five threes. The Huskies as a team were only two of 13 from beyond the arc, while the Tribe shot early and often from downtown. They went seven-for-24 from outside.

William & Mary next faces top-seeded Old Dominion in Monday night’s championship game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). The winner goes dancing, though the Monarchs have a decent shot at an at-large bid if they fall.