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Buies Creek, NC- William & Mary entered this game on their second-best start to conference play in program history, hoping to maintain their momentum against a Campbell squad on their best winning streak since 2023. With the Tribe and the Camels separated by just 2 games in the CAA, the result of this game would cause a major shift in the conference standings heading into February. It certainly did that, but not in a million years did I think it would be as a result of a 41-point victory for the home team.
The first frame of the game was quite sloppy on both sides. The Tribe opened scoring a layup by Matteus Case at the 18:04 mark. Campbell tied it up and eventually took a 4-2 lead on a Colby Duggan dunk at the 16:07 mark. That was the last time the Tribe saw life, and Campbell held the lead for the remainder of the contest. Campbell's defense positioned them well to grow their ridiculous lead, and combined with some incredible three-point shooting, the Camels would lead by as many as 26 points, but would head to halftime up 21 points with a 38-17 lead.
The Tribe opened up the second half with an understandable sense of urgency offensively. They drew four fouls in less than a minute to begin the second half, but it would not be enough to get back within a reasonable margin. Campbell would gain control of the game after the first frame of the second half. The Camels went on a 14-4 run over 4:38 and by the 12:02 mark, they extended their lead to a ridiculous 60-25.
William & Mary was understandably frustrated with how the game was going. Forward Caleb Dorsey, who was held scoreless in this game, committed a foul with 13:44 remaining. He was not happy with the call and said something in frustration to Referee Ted Valentine, who immediately dished out a technical on Dorsey. Those were his 4th and 5th fouls and his day was over.
Despite the awesome performance overall for the Camels, the fouls were the one sore spot in the win. Six players had 3 fouls or more but with as good of a game as they played on both sides, it ultimately did not make a difference. Matteus Case led the Tribe in scoring with 17 points and Campbell’s Caleb Zurliene led the way with 17 points of his own. The Camels would also get double-figure scoring from Colby Duggan, Jasin Sinani, Nolan Dorsey, and Eric Van Der Heijden. They would go on to win by a score of 96-55.
Here are some note worthy statistics on how historic this win is for Campbell:
After the last home game versus Monmouth, Eric Van Der Heijden had what Head Coach Kevin McGeehan called "Probably his best game as a Camel". Eric finished this game with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, which is 5 assists shy of the first triple-double in program history. I followed up with Coach McGeehan on what he thought about Eric's performance in the victory:
"He's playing way more confident. You can tell that he's having fun and he can sense how he's bringing value to the team..."
The value that Eric has provided in CAA play has helped propel the Camels on their four game win streak. He has filled the void that Terren Frank left behind when he went down with a hand injury in late December. Frank returned in this game and logged 9 minutes after missing the last 9 games for the Camels.
Right now, Campbell is winning, getting healthier, and looking forward to 3 more games at home in a row. This a stretch they can take advantage of and build momentum. Standing in their way next is the Hofstra Pride, who seek revenge after the Camels came back from down 16 points at halftime at Hofstra less than a week ago.
Hofstra and Campbell tip off on Saturday, February 1st, at 1 PM, and can be seen on FloCollege. William & Mary return home to take on Charleston on CBS Sports Network on Monday, February 3rd, at 8 p.m. Both William & Mary and Charleston will be 7-2 when they go head-to-head. Follow along on X (@TrevorEverette) for live game updates, and for more of my work on House of College Hoops and House Enterprise, head here.
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