VCU Edges Tribe on Senior Night, 61-57

03/06/08 10:30PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team nearly rallied back from a 12-point second half deficit but fell to Virginia Commonwealth University, 61-57, on Senior Night at Kaplan Arena. W&M (13-17, 7-11) finishes the season tied for seventh place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings and will square off against 10th-seeded Georgia State in the opening round of the conference tournament next Thursday at noon in Newark, Del.

Senior Kyra Kaylor led the Tribe with a double-double, totaling 15 points and 14 rebounds. Classmate Devin James also played well in her final home game, registering 14 points. Sophomore Tiffany Benson earned a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Courtney Portell added eight points.

As a team, the College limited VCU (23-6, 13-5) to just 34.3 percent shooting and held a 44-43 edge on the boards.

The Green and Gold took an early 7-4 lead at the initial timeout, as freshman Katherine DeHenzel converted a pair of baskets and Portell sank a three-pointer.

While the Tribe still held a narrow advantage, 12-10, following a three-pointer by junior Dani Kell with 11:25 showing, VCU pulled ahead with six straight points. W&M responded with a 5-0 spurt of its own and went ahead, 17-16, after a Benson putback.

With the score knotted at 21-21 following a jumper by James with 6:25 remaining in the half, the Rams rattled off an 8-1 run to go ahead, 29-22. While VCU extended the margin to as many as nine, the Tribe closed the half with seven un-answered points and trailed by just three, 33-30, at the intermission.

Benson led the College at the half with six points and six rebounds, while VCU’s Krystal Vaughn led all scorers with 18 points.

The count remained close during the early stages of the second stanza, as W&M trailed by just four, 40-36, following a short jumper by James with 16:21 showing.

While the Rams utilized an 8-0 run to extend its advantage to 48-36, the Tribe countered with nine straight points to pull within three with a little more than six minutes remaining. The College’s defense held VCU scoreless for 6:35 during the span, while Kaylor contributed five points during the run.

VCU responded to the Tribe’s impressive run with a quick 7-0 spurt of its own during a 50-second span and reclaimed a double-digit lead, 55-45, with 4:04 to play. W&M cut the deficit to four on two occasions in the final minute but was unable to get any closer as the Rams held on for the win.

Box Score