By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
For anyone wondering if Sydney Wagner is up to the task of becoming William & Mary's primary scorer, rest assured. She appears to be a natural.
 
Wagner set her career high for the third consecutive game, this time pouring in 29 points to lead the Tribe to a 55-44 win Sunday at Norfolk State. Wagner shot 9-of-17 from the field, 5-of-12 from deep, and scored 28 of those points in the first three quarters.
 
In her last three games, Wagner has scored 23, 27, and 29 points. She is a combined 27-of-45 (60%) from the field and 16-of-31 (52%) from the 3-point arc. All this while she adjusts to the point guard position.
 
"She's been playing extremely well," W&M coach Ed Swanson said. "She's been playing within herself. I don't recall too many bad shots or forced shots. I do recall some shots she should have taken that she didn't take.
 
"She's playing really great offensively. And defensively, I think she's really locked in as well."
 
Wagner was a key part of an 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter, which allowed the Tribe to extend its lead to 50-41 going into the fourth. With the Tribe leading 44-41, she knocked down a jumper and was fouled by the Spartans' Armani Franklin. Wagner's free throw made it 47-41.
 
Then, after Norfolk State turned it over with four seconds left, W&M's Chaniqwa Gilliam pushed the ball up the floor. She passed to Wagner, who drained a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer — from right in front of the Tribe's bench.
 
"It was deep, but it was in her range," Swanson said. "She had a good look, and (Gilliam) did a good job of advancing the ball up the floor and hit her right in rhythm for the shot. A terrific play."
 
Then came a bizarre fourth quarter, in which the two teams combined for eight points on 2-of-22 shooting. The Spartans never got closer than eight points.
 
Norfolk State, which was picked first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's Northern Division, shot 34 percent, 2-of-11 from the 3-point arc, and had 20 turnovers.
 
"We were locked in," Swanson said. "I think the whole game, we did a good job on their initial shot. They got some second-chance put-backs and points off our turnovers.
 
"Obviously, we tried shortening the game in the fourth quarter once we got that double-digit lead. We tried not to play as fast and get that clock to move a little more."
 
Nyla Pollard added 12 points for the Tribe on 5-of-11 shooting. She also had eight rebounds and three assists.
 
In the Tribe's last three games, in which she played all 120 minutes, Wagner has accounted for 48 percent of the Tribe's scoring. While that's impressive, Swanson knows it's also too much.
 
"We're going to need other people to step up here — I'm certain people are taking notice," Swanson said. "We have players who just lack confidence on the offensive side, and we need to get them some confidence.
 
"Like Gabby Rogers, Nyla Pollard, Bre Bellamy … (freshman) Lanni Brown is slowly getting into shape. She didn't play too much today because I knew what type of physical game it would be. Yeah, we've got to find some other people to score."
 
NOTES: Sunday's 55-44 final was the same score of the Tribe's win two years ago in Echols Hall. Last year at Kaplan, W&M won 65-56. "Every time we play Norfolk State, it's a game just like this," Swanson said. … Gilliam, who played high school ball at nearby Lake Taylor, had a solid game with five points, a career-best five rebounds, and that key assist to Wagner. … The Tribe was at its best in the middle two quarters, in which it shot 59 percent and outscored the Spartans 40-30. … W&M's next game is Tuesday at noon against Liberty at Kaplan Arena. The Flames (4-3) have won three in a row.