By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
On the same day William & Mary played its most efficient offensive game of the season, it also had one of its better defensive performance. Coach Ed Swanson doesn't see that as the least bit coincidental.
A day after feeling like it let one get away, the Tribe led practically from start to finish in a 69-53 win over Drexel Sunday at Kaplan Arena. W&M (5-6, 2-4 Colonial Athletic Association) shot 49 percent from the field and had 18 assists, both season highs. It also held the Dragons to 33 percent and finished plus-10 on the boards.
"When your defense is good, it's funny how your offense flows," Swanson said. "Our defense got off to such a great start. I really thought we had great energy and were able to knock Drexel back on their heels. Unlike yesterday in the second half, when they knocked us back on our heels.
"I'm really excited about how the team responded today. They were really frustrated with our play yesterday at certain times, and I was happy to see how they channeled that in a good way and played with great emotion."
In Saturday's game between these teams, W&M lost 64-58 thanks largely to giving up the first 13 points of the third quarter. On Sunday, the Tribe led by double digits for the entire second half.
As usual, Sydney Wagner was W&M's top scorer with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. But sophomore Bre Bellamy had a career afternoon with 19 points — 14 in the second quarter alone — on 8-of-14 shooting. She also finished with six rebounds
"I wouldn't say I sensed it, but from the beginning I thought she was more aggressive offensively," Swanson said. "She was looking for her shot with confidence, and that's what it takes sometimes for our kids."
And talk about filling a box score. Bailey Eichner, a 6-foot-2 senior, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocked shots. The points and assists were career highs.
"Add in defense, where's she's a great help defender," Swanson said. "You're not going to find anywhere on the stat sheet that shows where you take charges and change the momentum of the game. That's what she does.
"She just plays with great energy. I thought she had a great weekend. Along with some of our other players, like Chaniqwa Gilliam (nine points) and Bre Bellamy, I hope that can carry over into next weekend."
After trailing by two, W&M began the second quarter a 16-2 run. Bellamy had 10 of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Tribe was ahead by 16 points entering the fourth quarter and took a 58-38 lead on a layup by Wagner with 7:18 remaining. Drexel made it a 12-point game (63-51) with 3:43 remaining but got no closer.
"I told the team, it's better to throw the ball in the stands than give them a live turnover," Swanson said. "But that's exactly what we did. We gave them some life. They rushed us yesterday and made us play faster, and they rushed us again.
"I felt we needed a timeout to settle down again. After that timeout, we settled down and executed."
After giving up a combined 30 points to Mariah Leonard and Keishana Washington in Saturday's loss, W&M held that duo to 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting on Sunday. The Tribe also had a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Next on W&M's schedule is at Charleston on Saturday and Sunday, but the status of those games is uncertain. Because of COVID-19 issues within their program, the Cougars haven't played since Dec. 19.
