Sunday, Feb. 23, William and Mary (19-7, 10-5 CAA) bounced back from its overtime loss to Drexel on Friday to beat Delaware (6-8, 10-15 CAA) 78-60 in its last road game of the season. The Tribe saw multiple players score in double figures as it secured a team win to stay in third in the Colonial Athletic Association standings.
Delaware scored the first points of the quarter, building a 5-0 lead that would end up being its biggest of the night, before the Tribe was able to put points on the board when senior forward Victoria Reynolds made a layup under the basket. After the Blue Hens went ahead 9-4, the Tribe responded, tying the game up 9-9 thanks to a jumper by junior center Gabby Rogers with four minutes and forty-three seconds left in the first quarter.
The College would take its first lead of the game with 3:28 left after sophomore guard Eva Hodson hit a three pointer and gave the Tribe a 14-11 lead. Delaware didn’t let the gap grow too big however, outscoring the Tribe by three in the final three minutes to tie the game 18-18 at the end of the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, neither team was able to build a large lead. After the College went ahead 23-20 after another three-pointer from Hodgson, Delaware responded once again with a jumper and a free throw to tie the game up. With 4:00 left in the half, the Tribe took a 29-23 lead when Reynolds made a layup— its largest lead of the game so far.
Delaware fought back once again though, making a layup and a three pointer to cut the lead to 31-28 with 1:57 left in the half. As the clock ran down, freshman center Bre Bellamy made a jumper for the College, and freshman guard Chaniqwa Gilliam hit a three pointer, helping the Tribe finish strong and take a 36-28 lead into the locker room. Reynolds put up eight points at the half and redshirt sophomore Sydney Wagner added seven.
Hodgson and Rogers both contributed six each. The Tribe went 15 of 31 from the field and shot 4-10 from the three-point line. Delaware on the other hand could not buy a basket, shooting a miserable 27 percent from the field and going 1-6 from the three-point line.
The Tribe came out hot to start the third quarter, continuing its momentum from the previous half. Reynolds made a layup in the paint, followed by two made free throws by junior guard Bailey Eichner and a layup by Rogers to push the lead to 42-28.After Delaware hit a jumper, the Tribe kept the scoring going as Rogers made another layup. Hodgson would add on, capitalizing off a Blue Hen turnover and scoring the layup in transition, while junior guard Nyla Pollard joined in, making another layup and giving the Tribe a 51-34 lead with 4:31 remaining in the quarter.
From the start of the third, the College went on a 15-6 run to take a commanding lead over Delaware and break the game open. The Tribe would push the lead to 20 after Reynolds made a layup under the basket to make the score 58-38 with 1:18 on the clock. The College ended the quarter winning 60-42, outscoring the Blue Hens by 10.
The fourth quarter saw the Tribe defend its lead, as Delaware attempted to chip away. The Blue Hens could never string together a run, as the College was always able to quickly respond and stifle any hopes of a comeback. After the Blue Hens got a steal and scored a layup early in the quarter, Bellamy scored an easy layup off a fast break. The Tribe would continue to score, as Hodgson hit a three-pointer with 5:53 left in the game, making the score 70-47. There wasn’t much excitement, as the College was able to sit back with its hefty lead and defend, doing so successfully. The game would end with the Tribe winning 78-60.
The victory was a complete team effort, with five players scoring in double figures. Hodgson was the leading scorer for the Tribe, contributing 19 points and three assists— her twenty-fifth time in double figures this season. She needs just 11 more points to set the single season school record for scoring in a season, as she is currently sitting at 525 total points scored this season.
Reynolds added 18 points and seven assists, her ninth straight double-digit scoring performance. Rodgers, Pollard and Wagner each scored 10 points in the victory. The Tribe shot 53.6 percent from the field for the game, and 31.3 percent from three. The win was the College’s 11th road win this season, which is tied for the most in the NCAA.
The Tribe returns home for its final three games of the season, its first one coming against Elon on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.