By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
Against the CAA's second-place team Sunday afternoon, William & Mary met its goal by holding Delaware's point total in the 60s. On the other hand, giving up 19 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 20 times was not in the Tribe's game plan.
The Blue Hens took advantage of that in a 67-45 win in Newark, Del. Delaware outrebounded W&M 49-30, 19-8 on the offensive end, and had 15 more shots. With 20 turnovers and 30% accuracy, the Tribe (10-17, 5-11) averaged just over two-thirds of a point per possession.
"We felt if we could keep them in the 60s, we'd have a chance here on the road," W&M coach Ed Swanson said. "Unfortunately, there's another end of the court. We gave up 19 offensive rebounds and 20 turnovers, and when that happens, you're going to end up with 45 points.
"We knew they were one of the better rebounding teams in the country, and we didn't keep them off the glass like we needed to. With the turnovers, we played too jittery to start the game. And we struggled, obviously, not having Syd (Wagner) on the offensive end."
Wagner missed her second consecutive game due to health and safety protocol, and like Thursday night at Drexel, W&M struggled without her. The Tribe went 3-of-19 from the 3-point arc and had 13 of its 20 turnovers in the first half.
Riley Casey, the Tribe's leading scorer this season, finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting, 1-of-7 from deep. Freshmen Dani McTeer and Ava Stevenson added seven each.
"We missed having that other scorer," Swanson said. "Delaware played a lot of zone against us today, and Riley was obviously the focal point of the defenses this weekend. Not having that person who can relieve that pressure hurt us today.
"And the turnovers really hurt. Sometimes, a shot clock violation is not a bad thing. At least you can get back and set up. But live-ball turnovers hurt you."
Delaware (20-6, 14-2 CAA) owned the interior on both ends of the floor by outscoring W&M 38-24 in the paint and allowing only eight offensive rebounds. The Blue Hens also blocked seven shots, three by 6-foot-2 forward Lizzy Oleary.
"They've got great length and six seniors," Swanson said. "We didn't change their timing inside."
Delaware jumped on W&M early and took a 22-8 lead into the second quarter. Trailing by 22 points with 1:42 remaining in the first half, the Tribe closed strong and went into the locker room down 37-20.
W&M then started the third quarter with a 5-0 run, and Ruthie Montella's two free throws made it 37-25 with 7:40 remaining. But the Blue Hens scored 10 consecutive points and cruised from there.
The Tribe will play each of its final two regular-season games against Elon — away on Thursday, home on Saturday. As of now, W&M would be the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament, which begins March 10 in Philadelphia.
