BALTIMORE, Md. – Freshman Bianca Boggs sunk a free throw with one second left lifting the William & Mary women’s basketball team to a 62-61 road win at Loyola (Md.) on Monday night.
With the win, the Tribe is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season at 3-1, while the Greyhounds fall to 2-3.
Junior Alexandra Masaquel led the Tribe tying a career-high with 18 points, while she added nine rebounds, three assists and a steal. Sophomore Abby Rendle added 12 points, four rebounds, one assist, and two blocks, while junior Marlena Tremba had 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Trialing 61-58 with 1:44 remaining, W&M closed the game on a 4-0 run to pick up the win. Masaquel cut the score to one point on a layup. After a defensive stop and a Rendle rebound, the Tribe got the ball at half court following a timeout.
Tremba drove to the cup, but was fouled, and she connected on 1-of-2 from the line tying the game with nine seconds remaining. On Loyola’s last possession, Boggs came up with a block on a 3-point attempt, and on the rebound was fouled. In the bonus, Boggs stepped to the line and won the game with a free throw.
Tied at 14-14, Loyola closed the first half on a 5-2 run to take a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Colleen Marshall scored all five points during the stretch, including a triple right before the quarter horn sounded.
W&M responded with a 7-0 run to open the second quarter and built a 23-19 lead. A pair of free throws by freshman Ali Englehardt opened the run, before she canned a triple to put the Tribe back in the lead. The run ended on a pair of free throws from Masaquel.
After the Greyhounds cut the lead to 27-25, the Tribe closed the half on an 8-0 run. The run was jump started by back-to-back layups from Masaquel and Tremba. Junior Kasey Curtis knocked down one-of-two from the stripe, before senior Brooke Stewart canned a trey in the left corner to give W&M a 35-25 lead, which they took into the locker room.
W&M, which has had the lead at the halftime in all four of its games this season, shot 48.3-percent (14-of-29) from the floor in the first half.
The Tribe opened the second half on a 7-5 run to build its largest lead at 44-30 with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter. Masaquel led the run with four of the Tribe’s points.
Trailing by eight points, the Greyhounds used a 6-3 run to cut the third quarter deficit to 50-45. Bri Betz-White sparked the rally with a layup, before Jenah Perry also hit a layup. Following a Masaquel bucket, Perry hit another free throw cutting the lead to four. Tremba connected on a free throw to end the quarter, 50-45.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Loyola used an 8-0 run, taking a 3-point lead. Lauren Daughtery opened the run with a triple, before Marshall hit a layup, tying the score. Betz-White capped the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, before W&M made its last minute run.
The Green and Gold forced Loyola into 19 turnovers, while the Tribe forced a season-high 11 steals. Sophomore Jenna Green led the way with a career-high five thefts.
Boggs added seven points on the game, with three rebounds, and two steals. Green, who only scored two points, added six helpers with her five steals.
Marshall led three Greyhounds in double-figures with 23 points. Perry posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Betz-White finished 12.
The college returns home for a game Wednesday when they host American at 5 p.m. The game is part of a women and men’s basketball doubleheader. The men will host Hampton following the women’s game at 7:30 p.m. One ticket gets fans in to both games.
