ANNAPOLIS, MD. - William & Mary got out to a hot start but could not sustain the pace in a 66-54 defeat at Navy Tuesday evening.
Sydney Wagner and
Riley Casey each had 13 points in the game to lead the Tribe and Wagner's first quarter three-pointer was her 100th three-point basket in her William & Mary career.
All but four of Navy's 66 points came from a trio of guards. Jennifer Coleman led all scorers with 26 points while Kolbi Green and Sydne Watt added 19 and 17 respectively in the contest.
Wagner, last season's leading scorer collected seven points in the opening quarter, including triple number 100 to guide the Tribe to a 17-13 lead. Sharing the ball was key early as the Green and Gold assisted on six of eight made baskets in quarter one.
The William & Mary offense was electric in the second quarter, shooting 71.4 (10-14) from the field. Casey was on fire scoring eight points while knocking down 2-3 shots from downtown in the second.
Bre Bellamy and
Ruthie Montella each scored four points on 2-2 shooting as the Tribe outscored Navy 22-14 in the quarter to build a 12-point halftime lead.
The lead would not last as Navy utilized a 20-2 run in the third quarter to jump out to a 43-54 advantage heading into the final frame. The home team outscored William & Mary 12-11 in a tight fourth quarter to cap off the 66-54 win.
In the game,
Ed Swanson's team out rebounded the opposition 36-28 and had a 16-8 advantage in offensive boards. The Tribe outscored the Naval Academy 11-8 in second chance points and 12-2 off the bench, but Navy forced six more turnovers and had a large advantage at the charity stripe. William & Mary did not attempt a foul shot until late in the fourth quarter and made just two trips to the line compared to the home team's 19.
Bellamy scored in double-figures for the third straight game to start the season, dropping in 10 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. Montella was all over the stat sheet with three rebounds and five assists to go with her four points, and
Kayla Beckwith was a force on the glass scooping five rebounds in the game.
Up Next: Next up for the Tribe is a Friday night meeting with George Mason in Kaplan Arena.
