HARRISONBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's basketball team fell in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals to regular season champion and top-seeded Elon, 88-60, on Friday at the JMU Convocation Center. One day after equaling the school record for wins, the Green and Gold (20-11) could not overcome the Phoenix's hot shooting. Elon (26-6) connected on 56.5 percent overall, including 61.3 percent in the second half after the Tribe had pulled within eight.
 
Senior Marlena Tremba led the way for W&M with 14 points on 3-of-8 from 3-point range to go along with five assists. Classmate Alexandra Masaquel tallied 11 points and a team-high five rebounds, while senior Latrice Hunter and sophomore Bianca Boggs added nine apiece.
 
Elon opened up a first-quarter lead behind the play of Lauren Brown and Shay Burnett, setting the tone for the rest of the contest. The duo, which combined for 45 points on the night, scored 14 of the Phoenix's first 16 points. Brown tallied six-straight on an old-fashion 3-point play and a right-wing triple as part of a 10-0 Phoenix run. A Lenaira Ruffin lay-up at the 3:27 mark extended the margin to double figures at 18-7.
 
W&M responded with eight straight, pulling back within three. After a Boggs leaner in the lane, the Tribe turned up the defensive pressure with back-to-back steals leading to buckets. Junior Jenna Green finished off the first one in transition, before classmate Abby Rendle scored four in a row. Her lay-up at the 1:37 mark cut the deficit to 18-15.
 
Elon scored the final five points of the first quarter and first four of the second to regain a double-digit cushion. Burnett scored five of the Phoenix's nine points during the stretch, and Brown's steal and fast-break lay-up pushed the margin to 27-15 less than 30 seconds into the second period. In total, Elon hit its first five shots from the field in the second 10 minutes and 14 of its first 20 attempts overall. Brown scored five straight, and Meme Garner knocked down a 3-pointer to jump the lead to 35-19 and force a W&M timeout just over three minutes into the period.
 
A 9-2 Tribe spurt drew the Green and Gold within single-digits before the end of the opening half. Boggs tallied an old-fashion 3-point play off a driving lay-up, before Green pulled down a defensive rebound and cashed it in for a fast-break lay-up to slice the margin to eight, 40-32, with a minute left in the half. Defensively, the Green and Gold held the Phoenix to just one of its final seven from the floor in closing within 10 points, 42-32, at the intermission.
 
After a Masaquel jumper on the Tribe's opening possession pulled W&M within eight, Elon used a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach. In total, the Phoenix shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from the floor in the third quarter. W&M cut the deficit to 14 on a Tremba 3-pointer and a pair of Masaquel free throws, but Elon scored the period's final five points to extend the lead to 65-46 at the break. The Phoenix eliminated any thought of a four-quarter rally, hitting seven of its first eight shots in the final 10 minutes.
 
W&M finished the contest at 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the floor, including 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from 3-point range. The Tribe connected on 81.3 percent (13-of-16) at the free throw line. Green tallied eight points and four assists for W&M, while Rendle added seven points, five rebounds and two blocked shots off the bench.  
 
On the other side, Elon shot 56.5 percent (35-of-62) overall and was 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from 3. The Phoenix held a 42-22 advantage on the glass, outscoring W&M 14-3 in second-chance points and 50-26 in the paint. Brown scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while Burnett added 20 on 7-of-8 from the floor. Malaya Johnson chipped in 15 points, and Jenifer Rhodes had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-doubles for Elon.
 
The Tribe will await its postseason fate on Monday. The NCAA Tournament selection will be announced at approximately 8 p.m., on ESPN, and the 64-team WNIT field will follow by 9 p.m., via the WNIT website (www.womensnit.com). While the teams participating will be released by 9 a.m., the full bracket of the 20th annual event will be announced between 11:30 pm and Midnight ET. All game times for first-round WNIT games will be announced on Tuesday, March 14 with the first round to follow March 15-17.