WILLIAMSBURG, Va. ? William & Mary jumped out to an eight-point halftime lead and captured a 61-50 victory over the Tigers on Sunday afternoon in Williamsburg. The Tigers (16-11, 8-9 CAA) dropped their second straight despite 21 points from Shanae Baker-Brice.
“It was a tough game and we struggle defensively against these types of teams,” said Coach Joe Mathews.
Towson grabbed an early 9-3 lead in the contest behind four points from Haliena Snowden and a three-pointer from Baker-Brice. The Tribe would get back-to-back three pointers from Janine Aldridge to tie the game at 9-9 with 12:42 to play. The two teams traded buckets before a lay-up by Tiffany Benson tied the game at 13-13 with 9:12 to play in the half. William & Mary would score 23 of the final 38 points in the half to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room. Aldridge scored 15 first half points for the Tribe including three three-pointers.
Towson opened the second half on a 9-2 run to make it a 38-37 game with 13:49 to play. Alis Freeman connected for five of the Tigers' nine. The two teams then traded buckets with a lay-up by Taysha Pye at 10:33 putting the home team up 43-38. A jumper by Kelly Heath at 9:48 started an 11-6 run that gave the Tribe a 54-44 advantage with 4:21 to play. Baker-Brice hit a three-pointer at 2:55 to make it a 54-47 game. William & Mary closed the game on a 7-3 run to claim the 61-50 victory.
Baker-Brice's 21 points was her eighth 20+ point performance of the season. She also added four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the game. Katrina Wheeler led the Tigers on the boards with nine while adding five points and two blocked shots. Freeman would finish with seven points while Snowden contributed six points and seven rebounds.
Aldridge was one of three players in double figures for the Tribe as she had 18 points. Pye finished with 17 points while Heath connected for 10. Benson led all players on the boards as she finished with 16 rebounds.
The Tigers wrap up their regular season action on Wednesday, March 4 when they host Drexel at 7 p.m. The Tigers will honor their two seniors prior to the game.
