Tribe Advances to CAA Tournament Quarterfinals with 82-60 Victory Against Georgia State

03/13/08 2:30PM

NEWARK, Del. - Four players scored in double figures to lead the seventh-seeded William and Mary women’s basketball team to an impressive 82-60 victory against 10th-seeded Georgia State in the opening round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Newark, Del. With the victory, the Tribe (14-17) advances to the quarterfinals and will play second-seeded James Madison on Friday at noon. W&M has now advanced to the tournament quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.

Senior Kyra Kaylor led the College with a game-high 17 points to go with seven rebounds, while sophomore Tiffany Benson continued her impressive play with 15 points (all in the second half) and five rebounds. Freshman Katherine DeHenzel finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals, while junior Courtney Portell added 11 points. Senior Devin James and junior Dani Kell also provided eight points apiece.

As a team, W&M made 10 of its 24 shots from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Tribe limited the Panthers (8-22) to just 33.8 percent shooting.

The contest was close early, as Georgia State held a 9-8 advantage at the initial media timeout. Portell and DeHenzel both connected on three-pointers during the opening minutes for the Tribe.

While W&M held GSU scoreless for nearly four minutes and built a 13-9 lead with 13:42 showing, the Panthers responded with six straight points to take a two-point advantage.

However, the College countered with an 11-0 run during the next 2:04 to go ahead, 24-15. Portell and DeHenzel both connected on three-pointers during the run, while Kaylor added five points.

Although GSU briefly narrowed the margin to six, 24-18, after a basket by Chandra Harris with 6:55 remaining, the Tribe charged ahead with a 12-4 run during the next two minutes to take a commanding 36-22 lead. Portell and Kaylor helped ignite the run as both connected on shots from beyond the arc.

The Green and Gold took their biggest lead of the half, 42-26, when freshman Katy Oblinger sank a three-pointer with 1:56 on the clock, but Georgia State closed the half with six unanswered points.

At the intermission, W&M already had three players in double figures scoring. Kaylor led all players with 12 points, while Portell and DeHenzel had 11 and 10, respectively. As a team, the College was 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.

The Tribe opened the second half with a 12-2 run to build a 20-point advantage, 54-34. While GSU responded with a 5-0 spurt, the College quickly pushed the margin back to 20 points, 63-43, following a pair of free throws by James with 11:20 showing.

W&M gradually extended the margin to as many as 26 points en route to earning the triumph.

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