Pierce leads Tribe to 96-83 comeback victory over Seahawks

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Justin Pierce scored 22 and shot 5 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc as William & Mary took down UNC Wilmington 96-83 on Thursday night.

Connor Burchfield added 20 points and Nathan Knight had 14 for the Tribe (17-11, 10-7 Colonial Athletic Association), who connected on 88.5 percent of their free throws.

The Seahawks (9-20, 6-11) controlled things early, riding a 9-0 run late in the first half to a 47-38 lead at the break.

William & Mary reversed its fortunes quickly to open the second half, taking advantage of two Burchfield 3-pointers to open and close an 11-0 run to take a two-point lead. The teams traded buckets from that point on until an 8-0 run put the Tribe up by ten with 6:06 left, effectively putting it away.

After shooting 50 percent from the field before halftime, the Seahawks cooled off, managing just 39 percent shooting after the break.