NEWARK, Del. – The William and Mary women's basketball team held Delaware to just 11 second half points as it erased a 15-point halftime deficit to defeat the Blue Hens 50-48 on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Tribe improves to 7-10, 1-5 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while the Blue Hens fall to 7-10, 2-4 in league action.
Freshman Abby Rendle again shined for the Green and Gold as she scored a team and career-high tying 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had two blocks, and two assists. Sophomore Marlena Tremba also was in double figures with 10 points, three rebounds, and four steals.
Delaware used an 8-0 run to build an early 8-2 lead with 15:58 remaining in the first. After senior Kyla Kerstetter scored the first points of the game, Erika Brown scored all eight points for the Blue Hens during the stretch.
Leading by seven, 21-14, the Blue Hens used an 8-3 run to build a 12-point lead. Brown sparked the run with four straight points on a pair of free throws and a jumper. Following three straight points by the Tribe, UD responded with the next four points on baskets by Courtni Green and Makeda Nicholas.
Delaware led 37-22 at the break, thanks in large part to a strong first half effort from Brown, who scored 16 points in the first stanza. The Blue Hens shot 43.8-percent (14-of-32) from the field in the half, while limiting the Tribe to 34.8-percent (8-of-23).
After Delaware scored six of the second half's first 10 points, the Tribe used an 18-0 run over more than 10 minutes to take its first lead since 2-0 with 19:19 to play in the first half. Freshman Jeanne Gaumont sparked the run with a layup, followed by back-to-back layups by Tremba, which cut the Blue Hen lead to 11 points. A triple from sophomore Latrice Hunter brought the lead back down to single figures, before Tremba hit a free throw. Rendle hit three layups before in a row, before Gaumont hit a layup to give the Tribe a 44-43 lead with 4:14 remaining.
The Blue Hens regained the lead on their next possession on a layup from Joy Caracciollo, but the Tribe was up to the test. Kerstetter answered with the go-ahead layup to give the Green and Gold the lead for good, before Tremba and Kerstetter each knocked down a pair from the line. Brown hit a triple for Delaware as time expired, making the final score 50-48 in favor of the College.
W&M held the Blue Hens to just four-second half field goals and 11 points, including a last second 3-pointer. The Tribe held Delaware scoreless for more than 11 minutes during their comeback. W&M had just four-second half turnovers and forced eight second half steals.
Kerstetter finished with eight points and six rebounds for the College. Hunter chipped in three points and four assists off of the bench, helping spur the Tribe's comeback. Gaumont was also crucial in the comeback she had four points, three rebounds, and a career-high four assists. W&M finished with 16 assists, while they only turned it over 12 times.
Brown led Delaware with 19 points, but just three in the second half. Hannah Jardine finished with a double-double on 10 points and 10 boards for the Blue Hens.
With the decision the Tribe picked up its fourth true road win of the season. The four triumphs on the road are more road wins than the last three seasons combined.
The College concludes its two-game road trip on Thursday, Jan. 22 as it travels to James Madison. Tipoff between the Tribe and Dukes is set for 2 p.m. W&M returns home for a game against Hofstra on Sunday, Jan. 25. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
