A Full Spectrum Of Emotions

RICHMOND There really is no other joy in college basketball quite like that which comes with winning a game that punches your ticket to the NCAA tournament. In the big-time leagues, they celebrate winning a conference tournament because someone hands them a bunch of hats with corporate logos on them and tells them to cut down a net.

In leagues such as the Colonial Athletic Association, the celebrations are real -- and so is the despair. Monday night, the joy was George Mason's, the Patriots getting to cut down the nets at Richmond Coliseum for the first time in seven years after their 68-59 victory in the championship game.

The despair was William & Mary's. The Tribe put on a remarkable performance all weekend, winning three games to reach the final, including an improbable upset of top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday. But in the second half, with Mason's relentless defense coming at them in waves, they just didn't have quite enough in their legs to make it to the finish line.

Afterward, William & Mary Coach Tony Shaver and his star player, Laimis Kisielius, sat red-eyed, bravely answering questions they probably barely heard. They knew their team had done things never before accomplished in school history, but at this moment it didn't matter.

"I told our players before the game that I wanted them to love this moment," Shaver said. "They earned the chance to be on this stage and that was a great feeling. But I also told them they were here to win a game."

They didn't because Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell wouldn't let them. The two seniors, the last remaining starters from the 2006 Final Four run, made play after play down the stretch, combining for 38 points, and keeping the Tribe at bay every time they tried to make a run.

"These two guys have been the heads and tails of George Mason basketball, the face of the program for four years," said Coach Jim Larranaga, who won his third CAA title. "Folarin is our Magic Johnson. Will is our Bill Russell."

Larranaga is occasionally given to hyperbole but his point was well taken: Campbell is the creator for this team and Thomas is the finisher. Monday, Campbell, whose jump shot had been shaky most of the weekend, buried two long threes with William & Mary trying to keep the game close, the first closing out a 9-0 run that extended a 27-26 halftime lead to 36-26. William & Mary tried gamely after that but never got closer than seven because the two seniors simply wouldn't allow it.

"We wanted to win this game and not have to spend all week worrying about Selection Sunday," Thomas said. "Now we can sit back and enjoy it."

At halftime, it looked as if getting to enjoy the week might not be that easy. Kisielius hit a short jumper to close the gap to one -- his 15th point -- and the Tribe raced to the locker room full of momentum. Larranaga said he talked to his players about staying confident and continuing to rely on their defense. His tone was calm as he described the halftime locker room. Was he that calm then?

"No," Thomas said before Larranaga could answer. "Absolutely not."

Mason came here thinking it would have to go through VCU to win the championship. But a hot underdog can be just as dangerous as a favorite and William & Mary never quite went away until the end.