UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – The William and Mary women's basketball team fought to the final whistle, but fell in the final CAA Quarterfinal 64-51 to No. 3-seeded Hofstra on Friday night at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Sophomore
Marlena Tremba finished with a game-high 17 points for the Green and Gold. With the decision, the Tribe's season concludes with a 15-15 record, while Hofstra, which advances to the CAA Semifinals, improves to 19-11.
Tremba chipped in two rebounds, and a steal to go along with her game-high 17 points. Senior Jazmen Boone was also in double-figures scoring 12 points, adding seven rebounds, and three assists.
Hofstra opened the game with an 11-5 run, taking an early lead by the same score. Anjie White opened the game's scoring with two points. W&M responded with three straight points, taking its only lead of the night. The Pride responded with nine straight on a 3-pointer from Crystal Luciano, a layup from Darius Faulk, and four straight points from Elo Edeferioka.
Leading by two, the Pride used a 7-0 run to take a 29-20 lead with 55 seconds left in the first half. Luciano scored all nine points on the run as, the Pride rallied for its largest lead of the half.
Hofstra came out of halftime on fire and used a 10-1 run to build its lead to 41-24 with 15:27 to play in regulation. Luciano hit a jumper to start the rally. After a Tribe free throw, the Pride got baskets from Faulk, four straight from White, and a layup from Ashuane Durant.
Trailing by as much as 20 points, the Tribe never quit and was able to cut the Pride lead to nine points with 1:07 remaining. Midway through the second half W&M used a 7-1 run to cut the score to 56-46. A jumper by sophomore Latrice Hunter started the run, After a Pride free throw, Tremba canned a 3-pointer, before sophomore Alexandra Masaquel hit a layup.
W&M cut the Pride lead to 60-51 with a chance to shorten it closer, but couldn't hit long 3-point attempts. Hofstra hit its free throws down the stretch, winning 64-51.
Freshman Abby Rendle recorded three blocks in the game for the Tribe. Those three blocks were enough for the freshman school record of 68 block shots. The 68 blocks also rank second-best in single season history.
Masaquel grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds for the Tribe, while she chipped in five points. Hunter scored six points, while senior Kyla Kerstetter added four points.
W&M finished the season having led in every single one of its 30 games this season. The Tribe's 15 victories are tied for the fourth most in program history, and the Green and Gold posted a seven game turnaround, following an eight win campaign last year. It was the most wins since the 2006-07 season.
White led the Pride with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Luciano finished with 16 points, while Durant chipped in 12 points.
Be sure to stay tuned to TribeAthletics.com for all updates around the William and Mary women's basketball team.
