GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore
Marlena Tremba scored 18 of her team-high 20 points in the second half as the Tribe women's basketball team held on to pick up a hard-fought road win 59-57 at North Carolina A&T on Friday night. Tremba finished the game a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, which tied a school record. Senior
Jazmen Boone (14 points) and sophomore
Latrice Hunter were also in double-figures for the Tribe. With the win, W&M improves to 2-1 on the season, while N.C. A&T drops to 2-1.
North Carolina A&T opened the game with an 8-4 run to take the lead by the same score with 14:44 to play in the first half. Aprill McRae and Debbie Smith each hit baskets to open the game's scoring. After the Tribe tied the game, Adriana Nazario and McRae scored to build an 8-4 advantage.
After the Aggies built an 11-6 lead, the Tribe used a 10-0 run to build a five-point advantage, its largest of the half. Sophomore Alexandra Masaquel hit a jumper to open the run, followed by a free throw from classmate Kasey Curtis. The Green and Gold opened its first lead thanks to a traditional three-point play from Boone. Freshman Abby Rendle hit a layup followed by a pair of free throws by Masaquel to give the Tribe a 16-11 lead.
The Aggies finished the half on a 15-9 run to take a 26-25 lead into the locker room. McRae, who had six points, and Brown, who had five during the spurt, led the outburst for N.C. A&T.
Down a point with 14:32 play, the Aggies used a 6-0 run to take a five-point lead at 38-33. McRae hit a pair of free throws to regain the lead for N.C. A&T. Christina Carter hit a jumper to push the lead to three, before a steal and a layup by her gave the Aggies a 38-33 lead.
The Tribe answered with a 6-0 run of its own to regain a one-point lead with 11:07 to play. Boone hit three-of-four from the free throw line, before Tremba drilled a 3-pointer, putting the College back up, 39-38.
Neither team took more than a one-possession lead for the final 11 minutes of action. Tremba was huge down the stretch hitting couple of clutch shots, including a big triple with 4:22 remaining in the game. In the final possession, the Tribe was able to knock the ball free, leading to a scrum on the floor as the final horn sounded.
Tremba shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor, which tied a school record that Boone set on Feb. 16, 2014 when she shot the same against UNCW. W&M, which forced 24 turnovers on nine steals, was led by Boone, who had a season-high four thefts. Masaquel continued her hot start for the Tribe with seven points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal.
McRae led high point with 23 points, but she was the only Agggie in double figures. Brown was the second leading scorer finishing with nine points.
The College, which is now 2-1 on the year is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season, concludes its three-game road trip when they take on High Point on Sunday, Nov. 23. Tipoff for that game is set for 2 p.m. W&M returns home for a pair games next week. The Tribe welcomes VCU on Wednesday, Nov. 26, before playing host to Longwood on Saturday, Nov. 29.
