Williamsburg Sun

W&M Women's Hoops Falls on the Road to Norfolk State

 A strong second quarter and late-game scoring from Norfolk State proved to be the difference-maker on Wednesday afternoon as William & Mary dropped its final non-conference game of the season, falling on the road 70-52.

NSU outscored the Tribe 15-9 in the second frame and notched a 13-3 run in the fourth.  
 
Graduate student Riley Casey highlighted the afternoon for the Tribe (5-6), leading all scorers with 15 points, her ninth double-digit performance of the year. Freshman Kayla Rolph continued her strong play to wrap up the early-season schedule, scoring six and hauling in a game-high seven rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.

After the Spartans jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead to start the game, W&M answered with a run of its own; a 12-5 scoring stretch capped off by Rolph's bucket to tie the score at 15-all with 1:52 left in the first. The Tribe then kept it close in the waning moments of the quarter, down just three points after the first 10 minutes of play. Norfolk State (10-3) broke it open in the second frame, however, shooting 42.9% from the floor to pad its lead and take a 33-24 advantage into the halftime break.
 
The Tribe did its best to close the deficit in the third, and with 2:33 left in the quarter, senior Bre Bellamy's jumper made it a 45-39 game. But Da'naijah Williams answered quickly for Norfolk State, draining her own jumper on the Spartans' next possession. Less than a minute later, she connected on a pair of free throws to push NSU's lead back to 10.  
 
With 31 seconds left in the third, the Green and Gold were once again within single digits, as Bellamy went 1-of-2 from the line. The Spartans had another answer, though—this time when Deja Francis hit two free throws to take an 11-point lead into the fourth. Francis was one of three Norfolk State players to finish with 12 points.

Norfolk State then opened the fourth on a 7-0 run. 
 
Bellamy finished with seven points and six rebounds, returning to the starting lineup after missing Sunday's game at Longwood. Graduate student Sydney Wagner added eight points, while freshman Alexa Mikeska dished out a career-high five assists. It's the second straight game a Tribe player has recorded five or more assists after Casey finished with six at Longwood. Junior Lanni Brown also added a career-high marker with three steals. 

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