Duquesne Edges W&M, 61-60

12/20/07 9:15PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team rallied back from six points down in the final two minutes but fell to Duquesne, 61-60, on Thursday evening at Kaplan Arena.

Duquesne (7-4) overcame a 13-point second-half deficit and utilized a late 12-1 run to build a 56-50 lead with less than two minutes to play. W&M (5-5) charged back, as junior Courtney Portell sank a pair of key three-pointers, including a game-tying trey with nine seconds remaining. However, following Portell’s final bucket, DU’s Kristi Little dribbled down the floor and found Amanda Peck open under the basket. Peck was fouled and sank the second of two free throws to put the Dukes’ ahead by one with 4.1 seconds left. With one final chance, senior Devin James raced the length of the floor but was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

Portell led the Tribe with a game-high 21 points and equaled a school record with seven three-pointers, going 7-of-12 from long range. It marked the second consecutive game in which Portell has connected on seven long balls. Senior Kyra Kaylor nearly earned a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Tiffany Benson finished with six points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and four steals.

While both teams struggled offensively early in the contest, the College utilized three-pointers by Portell and James to take a 6-2 advantage at the first media timeout.

The Dukes evened the score at 6-6, but the Green and Gold rattled off a 5-0 spurt to take an 11-6 lead following a James layin at the 12:17 mark.

The Tribe maintained a narrow lead throughout much of the half and used a 7-1 run late in the frame to go ahead, 27-19, with 4:23 showing. Kaylor tallied five points during the stretch. However, the College went scoreless during the remainder of the half and led by just two, 27-25, at the break.

Portell led all scorers at the intermission with nine points, while Kaylor and James each had seven. The Tribe forced DU into 13 first-half turnovers.

While Duquesne scored the initial bucket of the second half to even the score, the Green and Gold answered with a 14-1 run to build a 41-28 lead. Portell sank a pair of three-pointers during the run, while Benson converted two layins.

Following a timeout with 13:35 left, the Dukes gradually began to cut into the Tribe’s lead. An 8-0 run narrowed W&M’s advantage to three, 45-42, with nine minutes remaining. After a basket by sophomore Lauren Aadland put the College up 49-44 with 7:49 showing, DU rattled off a 12-1 run to take a 56-50 lead and hung on for the one-point win.

The Tribe will return to action when it plays at the Bank of Hawaii Invitational on Dec. 28-29 in Honolulu.

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