By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
There's no secret that William & Mary has struggled on the offensive end this season. Its four wins have come with rebounding, toughness, and hustle.
That, more than anything, is what bothers Tribe coach Ed Swanson about Wednesday night's 57-40 loss at Hampton University. It's not that his team shot 27.5% and made one basket in the fourth quarter. It's that the Pirates were plus-16 on the boards and outscored W&M 20-9 on second-chance points.
"It was a very frustrating evening," Swanson said. "I mean, they earned it, Hampton did. They beat us on the hustle plays, the beat us on the glass, and those are things we've been good at all year. That's been our DNA all season.
"Tonight, we failed to do all of that. We failed to play with the toughness we needed to get a win on the road. That's what brings out my frustration."
In its first eight games, the Tribe had finished no worse than even on the boards six times. That included losses to Navy and Old Dominion. And it included W&M's 58-41 win over the Pirates on Nov. 29 in Kaplan, in which each team had 35 rebounds.
In Wednesday night's rematch, Hampton dominated the glass 50-34, including 19-7 on the offensive end. The Pirates outscored the Tribe 20-9 on second-chance points, 13-2 in the second half.
"They really outworked us," Swanson said. "We would get stops, but they would get two and three more (chances).
"We're not deep right now, and that wears on you. Having to play defense for 30 seconds and having to play another 20 because you gave up the rebound …"
Another key stat was free throws. The Pirates went 15-of-20; the Tribe was 8-of-10. Hampton went to the line 10 times before William & Mary had its first attempt with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter.
"They set the tone with the officials and they were the more aggressive team from the tip," Swanson said of the Pirates. "We weren't attacking. At one time, we were 2-for-13 from three but we didn't adapt. We didn't attack, and the game's going to reward the team that attacks."
It was the Tribe's third consecutive loss — each by double digits, and each without top scorer Riley Casey and key reserve Chaniqwa Gilliam.
Sydney Wagner led William & Mary with 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Freshman Ruthie Montella was next with eight points, which included 4-of-4 accuracy from the free throw line. Dani McTeer, playing four miles from her alma mater at Hampton High, finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
Nylah Young led the Pirates with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
NEXT UP: The Tribe will look to get back on the winning track Sunday at Richmond (4-4). The Spiders are coming off a 98-89 loss at Ohio on Saturday.
