By Elliott Bell

The Pride men’s basketball team overcame a sluggish start thanks to the dazzling performances by backcourt mates Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio who led the way in a 72-51 win over visiting Tribe of William & Mary Monday night.

The win improved the Pride’s record to 13-6 overall and 5-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The loss dropped the Tribe to 5-14 overall and 1-9 in conference action.

Agudio, a red-shirt freshman, shot a blistering six of 12 from downtown. His 21 points was almost matched by the equally impressive performance of sophomore guard, Loren Stokes who shot five of nine from the field and three of four from beyond the arc. He finished the game with 20 points and four assists.

The Pride found itself down 20-10 at the 9:34 mark as Tribe center Brian Hutt scored a couple of quick baskets down low and overmatched Wendell Gibson. With his team in a rutt, Pride head coach Tom Pecora called a timeout hoping to stop the Tribe’s momentum.

Strong defense propelled the Pride on offense which eventually took the lead for good with just over three minutes to play in the first half on one of Agudio’s six three-pointers in the game. The first half came to an end with the Pride up 33-27.

After the intermission, the Pride went on a 9-2 run that extended the lead to 42-29. The Pride kept its double-digit lead the rest of the way.

The last 15 minutes of the game were just a formality. Agudio and Stokes kept draining three pointers. Agudio set a freshman record for three pointers made in a game, and fell just one shy of the team record held by Jason Hernandez. Wendell Gibson, who started slowly, came up huge, dominating down low on his way to a solid 15 point, 6 rebound performance.

It was really a nice win for a Pride team that is trying to get back into the groove of winning games. A visit at home from the last place team is usually what the doctor orders. To find its way, the team got back to the fundamentals, which propelled them to an 9-0 start, best ever in school history.

“Coach told us that if we passed the ball like we did in the first half of the season, then we will get open shot,” Agudio said.

The team moved the ball around quickly, and always seemed to find the open man for the entire game. While the shots didn’t fall at first, each player stuck with the game plan and continued circling the ball around the court until an open look developed. Once the shots starting going down, there was little the Tribe could do.

Pecora was pleased with his team’s performance. But afterward seemed a little worried maybe the team is relying too much on the starters and talent.

“We need some more help from the bench,” Pecora said. “We can’t go through the CAA Tournament and win it depending on six guys to play well. Our role players have got to step up.”

Freshman guard Antoine Agudio has teamed with guard Loren Stokes to form one of the most formidable backcourts in the entire Colonial Athletic Association. (Photo Courtesy Athletic Department)

(Photo Courtesy Athletic Department)