SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind a strong defensive effort, the William & Mary women's basketball team held on for a 49-46 road win at USC Upstate on Tuesday night in Spartanburg, S.C. With the win, the Tribe wins its third in a row and improves to 3-1, while the Spartans fall to 2-3.
The Tribe is now 3-1 for the second straight season, which is the first time since the 1997-98 and 1998-99 season W&M has reached that record in consecutive seasons. It is also the first time since the 1999-00 seasons that W&M has won its first two true road games of the regular season.
Senior
Marlena Tremba led the way with her sixth straight double-digit performance dating back to last year. The senior finished with 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Classmate
Alexandra Masaquel finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and five steals, while senior
Latrice Hunter added eight points, sparking the Tribe in the first half.
After a slow start offensively and leading 9-8 late in the first quarter, W&M closed the period on a 6-2 run. Junior
Abby Rendle sparked the run with a layup, before Tremba made a jumper. After an USC Upstate basket, Hunter capped the quarter with a basket, making it 15-10.
The Tribe built its lead to eight once and seven twice in the second quarter, but the Spartans were able to close within three at the break thanks to a quick 5-0 run to end the period. Brittney Delva accounted for all five points on a layup, before she hit a 3-pointer right as the halftime horn sounded.
W&M exploded out of the gates in the third quarter with a 9-0 run. Four quick points by sophomore
Bianca Boggs opened the run and forced a quick Spartan timeout. Following the break, Tremba continued the spurt with a triple, before Masaquel buried a jumper making it 32-20.
The effort continued for entirety of the quarter as the Tribe limited Upstate to just six points in the stanza. At the end of 30 minutes, W&M held a 38-26 lead.
Upstate didn't go away and made two big runs in the fourth quarter starting with 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five. A'Lexxus Davis started the rally with two free throws, before Vanessa Agrussa added two more from the line. Raven Jefferson then sunk a 3-pointer to bring the Spartans within 38-33 with 7:39 remaining.
W&M extended its lead back to double-figures with a 5-0 run midway through the final period. Junior
Jenna Green canned a right-wing triple, before classmate
Jeanne Gaumont connected on a pair from the line making it 47-36 with 3:22 left.
However, the Spartans closed the game on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to three and had a chance to tie it on the game last possession. Delva hit two from the stripe opening the run, before Davis added a pair as well. After Tremba hit two from the line, back-to-back triples from Raven Jefferson brought the lead down to 49-46.
Upstate advanced the ball with their final timeout with just 13 seconds left. DaNisha Swan fired a last second triple, but her shot was rejected by Gaumont. She got the rebound, and her desperation heave was offline as the Tribe pulled out the 3-point victory.
The Green and Gold defense limited the Spartans to just 24.2-percent (15-of-62) from the field. It was the second time in the last three contest that W&M has limited a team to under 25-percent from the floor.
Additionally the Tribe forced 16 turnovers on 13 steals, and recorded six blocks. Masaquel paced W&M with five thefts, while Rendle led the way with four rejections.
Jefferson led all scorers with 15 points for Upstate. She added five rebounds, an assist, and two steals. Davis just missed a double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds, while Delva finished with nine points and five steals.
After a six-day hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Green and Gold return to Williamsburg to start a string of three games in six days. The stretch kicks off with Delaware State on Monday, Nov. 28. Tip time from Kaplan Arena is set for 7 p.m.
