WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The
William and Mary women's basketball team suffered a 58-46 setback against Colonial
Athletic Association foe Drexel on Sunday afternoon from Kaplan Arena. Senior Janine Aldridge led the Tribe with 16
points, four steals and three assists.
For the majority of the first half, W&M held court against the league's
top team but Drexel managed to regain the lead before intermission en route to
the win. For the year, the College falls
to 2-14 overall and 0-5 in CAA action, while Drexel improves to 12-4 on the
season and 5-0 in league play.
Senior Emily Correal finished the afternoon with nine points
and seven rebounds, while sophomore Jazmen Boone netted eight points to go
along with four boards. Sophomore Kyla Kerstetter capped the Tribe's output with six points and five rebounds. W&M finished the contest shooting 18-of-45
(40.0 percent) from the floor, which included a 5-of-20 (25.0 percent) effort
from 3-point range. Against the CAA's
top scoring defense, the Tribe was effective inside as it netted 20 points in the
paint.
In a defensive minded opening half, the College was on the
attack early as Aldridge's back door lay in at the 16:03 mark tied the contest
at six. Minutes later, Aldridge gave the
Green and Gold its first lead of the afternoon, 9-6, after the Massapequa,
N.Y., native connected on her 269th career 3-pointer at the 14:28 juncture.
With 11:10 left to play in the half, W&M extended its
lead when Aldridge discovered a streaking Boone, who connected on a fast break
bucket, which gave the Tribe a 16-11 advantage.
For the next eight minutes and forty-three seconds the Green and Gold
maintained the lead until Drexel's Nicki Jones netted a jumper with 2:27
remaining, which gave the Dragon's a 21-20 edge. As the half came to a close, Drexel connected
on a jumper with 22 seconds left courtesy of Taylor Wootton as it took a 25-22
lead into the locker rooms.
In second half action, Drexel opened the frame on a 9-2 run
as it increased the margin to 34-24 with 13:58 remaining in the contest. Before the Tribe mounted a final charge, the
Dragons' lead grew to 46-31 at the 9:05 juncture.
At the 2:38 mark, Boone's sixth point of the day got the
Green and Gold to within 55-41. On the
College's next possession, the Virginia Beach, Va., native gave W&M a
chance as her jumper cut the deficit to 55-43 with 1:35 left in regulation. However, Drexel was able to connect from the
foul line down the stretch as it secured the victory.
Wootton led the Dragons with a game-high 22 points, while
Jones finished the contest with 15 points.
For the game, Drexel shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor and 20
percent (3-of-15) from 3-point territory.
The Tribe returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 24, as it welcomes
CAA foe Towson to Kaplan Arena. Tip-off
from Williamsburg, Va., is scheduled for 7 p.m. and fans can follow the action
online at TribeAthletics.com with live video and stats.
