GAME NOTES: Winners in four of their last five games, the William & Mary Tribe aim for a season sweep of the College of Charleston Cougars when the two meet in a Colonial Athletic Association clash tonight at TD Arena.

The Tribe captured a 74-63 home win over the Cougars on Jan. 27. William & Mary has won six of its last eight games, including a 93-70 home rout of UNC- Wilmington on Monday. Brandon Britt shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range on his way to 22 points. Marcus Thornton added 15 points, five assists and three steals. Kyle Gaillard chipped in 14 points for the hosts.

William & Mary has also been successful recently on the road with wins in eight of its last 11 such contests, including four straight. The last away defeat for the Tribe came Jan. 22 at Hofstra.

Bench play has been a big reason why the Tribe have been successful this season. The team has outscored its opponents' reserves in CAA games by 11.6 ppg. William & Mary is averaging 26.3 ppg off the bench. The Tribe will hope to carry over their long-range shooting touch they had against the Seahawks on Monday when they hit a school-record 16 3-pointers (16-of-30). Tony Shaver's team is currently ranked 12th in the nation with 9.1 makes from beyond the arc per outing.

Thornton (19.2 ppg) has certainly helped the cause from long range for the Tribe as he has made 76-of-186 (.409) from 3-point land. The junior guard leads the CAA in 3-pointers made (3.0). Britt (10.6 ppg) has led the Tribe in scoring each of the last two games. Tim Rusthoven (12.3 ppg) ranks first in the CAA in field goal percentage (.572). Senior forward Kyle Gaillard is averaging 12.5 points over his last two contests. Omar Prewitt (11.4 ppg) is the top contributor off the bench, while Terry Tarpey (6.0 rpg) leads the team on the glass.

The College of Charleston has dropped three of its last four games, including a 60-44 setback at home against Northeastern last Saturday. Joe Chealey logged 11 points for the Cougars, and Canyon Barry finished with 10.

The Cougars are led by Willis Hall (12.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg), who is third in the CAA in rebounding. Anthony Stitt (10.2 ppg) and Adjehi Baru (9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) are part of the starting lineup for the offensively-challenged squad. The Cougars are last in the CAA in scoring offense (62.4 ppg), and they are shooting 63.9 percent from the charity stripe and only 41 percent from the field.

This game will certainly mean a lot to Barry, whose mom, Lynn, was the most decorated women's basketball player in school history when she played there from 1978-81. Barry was injured the last time the Cougars played the Tribe on Jan. 27.

William & Mary has the second-highest scoring average in the CAA at 73.6 ppg, but the Cougars have the top defense as they allow only 62.2 ppg. Additionally, head coach Doug Wojcik knows how Thornton and the long-distance shot can hurt his team. The Cougars held the Tribe without a 3-pointer in the first half of their opening meeting, but W&M made seven long-range shots over the final 20 minutes. If the Cougars can limit the Tribe in the perimeter game, they have a shot to pull to .500 on the season.