Thursday, the No. 6 seed William and Mary entered the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament coming off a five-game losing streak to end the regular season. The trend continued for the Tribe (16-14, 7-12 CAA) as it suffered a tough 67-50 loss at the hand of No. 3 seed Elon in the quarterfinal, bringing its season to an end.
The Phoenix (22-7, 15-4 CAA) took charge from the start of the game, opening the scoring with two free throws. Freshman guard Nyla Pollard added the Tribe to the scoreboard with a free throw early in the first quarter.
The Tribe rallied neck and neck with the Phoenix and entered the second quarter trailing by just one point. The College caught a break in the early minutes of the second quarter and slid into the lead on a layup by senior center Abby Rendle. This marked the only time the Tribe would hold the lead, spanning for 19 seconds.
Throughout the remainder of the first half, the Phoenix soared. They outscored the College 22-12 in the second period to take control of the game and gain a lead that they would not relinquish.
The Tribe fought strongly in the third quarter, matching Elon with 12 points in the period, but was unable to cut into the deficit.
Elon plowed ahead in the fourth quarter and obtained its biggest lead yet, 58-43. The Tribe then put together a quick 6-0 run, but it could not get any closer than nine. The Phoenix regained momentum and dominated the duration of the match, ending the game with a 17-point victory.
Throughout the match, the Tribe’s Achilles’ heel was its shooting, as it only made 26.5 percent of its shots from the field as opposed to 45 percent for Elon.
To conclude her career, Rendle headed the scoreboard as she registered 19 points. Pollard followed Rendle in points for the College as she put up eight points for the Tribe. For the Phoenix, center Malaya Johnson led the way with 13 points and forward Meme Garner and center Ra’Shika White each tallied 12 points apiece.
Rendle proved to be a powerhouse during her four years playing for the College as she skillfully netted 1103 points, whilst starting in 85 games and playing in 108.
Senior guard Jenna Green also concluded her reign as a starter for the College with seven points in her final game. Throughout her career, she started in 115 games and played in 122, registering 798 total points for the Tribe.
Although injured for part of the season, senior guard Jeanne Gaumont added 183 points for the Tribe throughout her four years.
Green, Rendle and Gaumont will all graduate in the spring, leaving the Tribe without a number of key playmakers.
While the College has now been eliminated from the tournament, the Phoenix will move forward and play James Madison in the semifinals.