The William and Mary women's basketball team shot a robust 45% Thursday night against UNC Wilmington, but fell 72-48 after the Seahawks shot a torrid 56.6% in return.  The combined shooting percentage of the two teams of 51.6% (48-93) broke the Kaplan Arena record for a single game, set by W&M and Old Dominion on Nov. 21, 2003 at 49.5% (46-93).

The Tribe was led on the night by the hot play of freshman Kaitlyn Mathieu (Waterboro, Maine), who finished with 15 points while shooting 6-8 from the floor and canning both of her free throws.  The rookiee post-player was also one of five players for the College to record at least two assists.  Sophomore Emily Correal (Venetia, Pa.) had eight points and two blocks, while classmate Taylor Hilton (Washington, D.C.) finished with seven points, two assists, and two blocks.  Junior Katherine DeHenzel (Bowie, Md.) had three assists and a pair of steals, and Taysha Pye (Bronx, N.Y) matched Hilton with seven points and two assists, while adding two steals and five rebounds.  Sophomore Jaclyn McKenna (Huntington, N.Y.) rounded out the notables with a team-high six rebounds to go with five points and a block.

The highlights of the first half for W&M included a 7-2 run that began with five minutes left with two free throws by Pye.  The Seahawks hit a lay-up to score their only points in the run, and DeHenzel responded with a deep three-pointer before Mathieu capped the streak with a turnaround jumper at the top of the key.  Pye also provided the signature shot of the evening just before the buzzer ending the half, getting the inbounds pass from under the basket and sprinting to half-court where she launched an off-balance heave from the right side that rattled home as the horn sounded, giving the Tribe a jolt to go into the locker-room.

In the second half, Mathieu had her own personal 7-2 run over the space of a minute to try and pull her team back into it.  She hit a jumper on the win with 14:35 remaining to start the run, and hit a pair of free throws 40 seconds later.  UNCW had a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, before senior captain Lindsey Moller (Longmont, Colo.) found Mathieu alone beyond the arc for a three-pointer at 13:31.  In all, Mathieu had nine of her 15 after the break, while hitting every shot she took in the second half (3-3 from the floor, 1-1 from deep, and 2-2 from the line).

William and Mary returns to action Sunday afternoon, hosting Delaware at 2 p.m.  The game is the Tribe's contribution to the WBCA Pink Zone campaign, which has raised millions of dollars for breast cancer research and awareness.  Fans who wear pink to the game will get in free, and W&M is also selling pink "One Tribe, One Fight" t-shirts with proceeds going to support cancer research.