NEWARK, Del. – Behind second and third-quarter sharp-shooting and a stout defense, William & Mary blitzed the College of Charleston, 61-41, in the first round of the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Green and Gold shot 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the floor in the middle 20 minutes and held the Cougars to 29.3 percent overall and 23.5 percent from 3.

Senior Bianca Boggs highlighted the Tribe (15-15) charge with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double. She scored 11 of her game-high 23 points in the second quarter, including a half-capping 3-pointer to send W&M to the locker room with a double-digit margin it would not relinquish.
 
Charleston (9-21) led early, 12-10, thanks to an 8-0 first-quarter run. Boggs scored the final four points of the opening 10 minutes to jumpstart a 16-1 Tribe run spanning the first and second quarters. Sophomore Gabby Rogers and senior Misha Jones combined for the final eight points of the spurt as Jones' second-straight lay-up extended the margin to 26-13 with 4:08 to play in the half.
 
W&M scored the first nine points of the second half, including 3-pointers from Boggs and junior Victoria Reynolds, to push the advantage to 21 just three minutes into the frame, and Charleston could not get any closer than 17 the rest of the way. In total, the Green and Gold outscored the Cougars, 37-17, between the second and third quarters. Defensively, W&M held CofC to just 25 percent (7-of-25) shooting during the stretch with nine of its 13 turnovers.
 
How It Happened
- After Charleston opened the game with a fast-break bucket, W&M ripped off a 10-2 run over a 1:21 stretch. Freshman Eva Hodgson highlighted the spurt with a pair of 3-pointers, including the second at the 6:04 mark to give the Tribe a 10-4 lead.
- Charleston responded with eight-straight points to retake the lead. Deja Ford scored the final four of the run, and her jumper at the 1:31 mark gave the Cougars a 12-10 lead.
- Boggs scored the final four points of the first period, including a jumper with two seconds left to give W&M a 14-12 advantage.
- The Tribe run extended into the second period increasing to 16-1 thanks to 12 of the first 13 second-quarter points. Sophomore Gabby Rogers tallied back-to-back Tribe buckets before senior Misha Jones added two-straight lay-ups to extend the margin to 26-13 with 4:08 left in the half.
- Leading 31-19 at the break, the Green and Gold scored the first nine points out of the locker room to expand the lead to 21. Boggs and Reynolds knocked down 3-pointers, and Hodgson found sophomore Nyla Pollard for a lay-up to push the Tribe advantage to 40-19 with 7:01 remaining.
- After Charleston closed to within 46-29, Boggs scored the final five points of the quarter, including 3-of-4 from the free throw line, to send W&M to the final frame with a 51-29 advantage.
- The lead ballooned to 27 with a seven-point Tribe run in the fourth quarter. Boggs knocked down her third triple of the game, and sophomore Bailey Eichner added a pair of free throws to extend the margin to 58-31 with 4:35 remaining.
- Charleston scored seven of the game's final eight points to close to the final margin to 61-41.
 
Inside the Numbers
- The Tribe shot 66.7 percent in both the second (8-of-12) and third (6-of-9) quarters. W&M finished the game at 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field.
- W&M limited Charleston to 29.3 percent (17-of-58) from the floor and only 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from 3-point range.
- The Tribe connected at a 75-percent (12-of-16) clip at the free throw line, outscoring the Cougars by nine (12-3) at the charity stripe.  
- The Green and Gold outscored Charleston in points off turnovers (12-7), second-chance points (10-7), points in the paint (20-18) and bench scoring (12-2).

Notes
With her 23 points, senior Bianca Boggs moved up to second on the Tribe's single-season scoring list with 512 points … She is just 10 away from the single-season record … Boggs recorded her fifth double-double of the season and seventh of her career … She has scored in double figures in 26 of his 30 games this season and 51 of her 60 games over the last two years … Wednesday marked Boggs' 17th career 20-point game … Sophomore Bailey Eichner tallied career-highs with six points and two assists and added four rebounds … Junior Victoria Reynolds was the only other Tribe player in double figures with 11, marking her 20th double-digit scoring game of the year … The Tribe's defensive field goal percentage (30.9) was its best against the CAA opponent this season … The 41 points allowed are the lowest for a Tribe opponent this season and the fourth time they have held a team below 50 points … It is the lowest point total for a Tribe opponent since W&M limited American to 34 points on Dec. 3, 2016 … It is the second-best defensive effort for a Tribe time in the CAA Tournament since limiting UNCW to 37 in a 62-37 win in 1997.
 
Up Next
- The Tribe takes on No. 2 seed Drexel in the CAA Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 14. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Del.
- The game will be broadcast for FREE on CAA.TV.