Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, William & Mary was the recipient of a potential morale killer. On a single possession, the Tribe's four-point lead over Charleston had become a one-point deficit.
It didn't take long to get that edge back.
With a dominant fourth quarter, in which it held the Cougars scoreless for nearly eight minutes, William & Mary rolled to a 57-44 win Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina. Sydney Wagner scored 19 of her 21 points in the first and fourth quarters as the Tribe won its second consecutive game.
Sparked by a 15-0 run, W&M (6-6, 3-4 Colonial Athletic Association) outscored Charleston 20-6 in the fourth quarter. After taking a 40-37 lead with 8:55 remaining, the Cougars missed eight consecutive shots.
"I thought we played a real strong fourth quarter both offensively and defensively," W&M coach Ed Swanson said. "We made shots and we made plays on the offensive side.
"With our defense, we challenged them after the third quarter when we thought we were getting outhustled to the balls on offensive rebounds. And we really had a strong fourth quarter, which was the difference of the game."
In the third quarter, Charleston (4-3, 0-1) had eight offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points. In the fourth, they had one and one.
The 90 seconds of the third quarter could have been the turning point. W&M led 37-33, but Charleston cut that in half on a drive by Amira Williams. She had an and-one opportunity but missed her free throw.
Tyler Collins got the rebound and kicked it out to Madison Taylor, who hit a 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining to put the Cougars ahead 38-37.
"We just let our guard down," Swanson said.
The Cougars took a 40-37 lead with 8:55 remaining in the fourth, but Wagner got her team even 35 seconds later on a 3-pointer. She hit another from deep at 6:35, which ended up putting W&M ahead for good.
By the time Charleston ended the 7-minute, 55-second drought, the Tribe led 52-41. Swanson said he believed the Cougars, playing for the first time since Dec. 19 because of COVID-19 issues, showed signs of fatigue in the fourth quarter.
"They looked a little weary," he said. "As did we. This trip is not an easy trip."
Wagner scored eight points on three shots in the game's first 6½ minutes. She went 1-for-8 in the middle two quarters before heating up again in the fourth with three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
