Tribe Sets School Record in 90-56 Win at Howard

12/09/07 6:45PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team made a school record 15 three-pointers as it cruised past Howard, 90-56, on Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. With the victory, W&M has now won three of its last four games and improves to 5-4 on the season, while Howard falls to 0-10.

Junior Courtney Portell led the Tribe with a career-high 24 points and equaled a school record with seven three-pointers. Sophomore Tiffany Benson and senior Kyra Kaylor also had impressive performances and both earned double-doubles. Benson finished with 12 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and three blocks, while Kaylor totaled 11 points and 18 rebounds.

The College went 15-of-35 from beyond the arc, connecting on 42.9 percent of its long-range attempts. Additionally, the Tribe limited the Bison to just 30.3 percent shooting and controlled the boards, 59-40. W&M’s rebound total equals the fourth-best mark in the program’s history. The Green and Gold also forced HU into 28 turnovers.

W&M began the game well and jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after a three-pointer by Portell and a pair of layins by Benson. However, the Bison narrowed the margin to one, 10-9, following a three-pointer by Reyna Gross at the 14:30 mark.

While the score remained close for much of the opening half, the Tribe began to pull away with a 10-4 run during a six-minute stretch late in the stanza. Shortly thereafter, the College closed the half with a 7-0 run to take a 41-26 advantage into the locker room.

At the break, eight of the College’s 14 field goals were three-pointers. Portell led all scorers with 15 points, while Benson already had eight points and 11 rebounds. Kaylor was the game’s leading rebounder with 12 boards.

Although Howard scored the initial bucket of the second half, the Tribe answered with a 12-3 run to build a comfortable 53-31 advantage. Kaylor had five points during the stretch, while senior Devin James converted a pair of baskets.

Minutes later, the Tribe utilized a 10-2 run, punctuated with a three-pointer by sophomore Robyn Barton, to extend the lead to 68-40. W&M went ahead by as many as 39 points en route to earning the lopsided triumph.

The Tribe will return to action following the exam break when it hosts Duquesne on Dec. 20.

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