After a tightly contested Dec. 6 71-78 loss at La Salle, William and Mary entered a 12-day reprieve to rest and prepare for its Dec. 18 game against Wofford in Spartanburg, SC. The days off were evidently time well spent in game-planning for the Terriers, as the Tribe steamrolled Wofford in a 71-51 victory.
The Tribe (6-3) raced out to an early 18-5 lead, spearheaded by senior forward Jazmen Boone, who finished the night with 15 points. Even with her dominant offensive performance, Boone’s defensive ability drew the most praise from head coach Ed Swanson.
“She played with the most energy and effort, and when she’s played well defensively, we’re usually doing very well. She’s a real important part for us,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “She typically guards the best player on the other team and leads the full court defense.”
Freshman center Abby Rendle added another double-double, with career highs in points (16) and rebounds (10) as the Tribe dominated the Terriers. Though Wofford closed the gap to only four points, Boone and sophomore guard Marlena Tremba, the College’s lead scorer this season, helped pull the Tribe ahead with a pair of layups.
While theCollege’s defense rejected the majority of the Terriers’ possessions, Swanson said he feltthe offense could have capitalized on more opportunities.
“It was a little rusty at the beginning, which was to be expected with the long trip down,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “But we still started the game strong, great energy … but our execution and our crispness on offense wasn’t exactly there.”
At the break, the Tribe entered the locker room leading 40-21.
The second half progressed in similar fashion to first, as the College opened with a 6-2 run. With an inside-out scheme on offense, the Tribe’s attack operated more smoothly to close out the game.
“We’re always trying to work inside out and that’s something we’ve talked about all year … get[ting] our post players off the defenders and getting them some easy touches,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics.
Rendle agreed.
“When we play inside out game, we play a lot better; we have great shooters and great inside players so when we’re able to pass the ball in, it’s great for us and it showed today,” she told Tribe Athletics.
Wofford drew within 15 points with ten minutes remaining. Once again, though, the Tribe’s stout defense smothered any comeback attempt. The Terriers shot a mere 25.5 percent from the floor and committed 21 turnovers against the College. Senior guard Kyla Kerstetter led the Tribe in steals with three.
The College closed out the game with a final score of 71-51 and several additional positives. The Tribe outrebounded the Terriers by a mark of 45-41. Considering that the College is 3-1 when out-rebounding its opponent, this success in the battle on the glass bodes well for future games.
Although Tremba was limited to single-digits for the first time this season, she kept her streak of 30 games with at least a single three-pointer alive. The scoring production of the other players demonstrated the College’s multi-faceted offense, which should be dangerous for opponents moving forward.
“We’re happy to get out of here with a win,” Swanson told Tribe Athletics. “We’re a rhythm team and we want to play game after game so it’s exciting to get back on the court. … [We’re] real excited about where we are right now, and we’re excited for Maine on Sunday.”