By james art 
The Tribe used a 20-2 second quarter to open a massive lead en route to its third straight victory Friday night.
WILLIAMSBURG, Wash.-WILLIAM & MARY used a dominant 20-2 run in the second quarter to break the game open and secure a convincing 78-55 victory over UNCW on Friday night at Kaplan Arena. With the win, the Tribe improved to 7-10 overall and 4-2 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.
Sophomore Yana Salman led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and nearly registered a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Kayla Rolfe chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while senior Bella Nascimento rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.
The Seahawks (9-10, 3-3 CAA) kept it close early, with UNCW’s Ali Zelaya scoring the game’s first four points. However, after the Tribe took its first lead at 5-4 on Cassidy Geddes’ 3-pointer, the teams traded shots in the first quarter. With less than two minutes left in the opening period, Salman’s late burst gave the Tribe a 20-16 lead heading into the second.
The game took a decisive turn in the second quarter when UNCW cut the Tribe’s lead to just 20-18. William and Mary then went on a 20-2 run that stretched the lead to 20 points. Junior guard Alexa Mikeska played a major role, scoring five quick points to ignite the surge, including a corner three-pointer that forced a UNCW timeout. The Tribe followed that with 13 straight points from five different players, including Nascimento and sophomore Monet Dance hitting 3-pointers and freshman Natalie Fox converting an old-fashioned three-point play. At the 2:49 mark, freshman Sofia Legulon’s hook shot made it 40-20, and the Tribe never looked back.
In the second half, Salman kept the pressure on, scoring eight of William & Mary’s first 10 points, and a Nascimento jumper pushed the lead to 59-35 with just under six minutes to go in the third. The Seahawks briefly put together a comeback attempt when Evan Miller hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 64-47 late in the third.
However, the Tribe responded with a 7-0 run to start the fourth, with Nascimento contributing a jumper and a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 71-47. W&M’s margin swelled to 27 points, reaching 78-51, after freshman Emma West sank a free throw late in the game, celebrating her birthday in style.
William & Mary finished the game shooting 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field, including a woeful 66.7 percent (8-of-12) in the third quarter. The Tribe also took advantage from the free throw line, converting 17-of-20 attempts (85%). The Tribe’s bench played a major role, contributing 43 points and helping the team to a 36-28 advantage in the paint. Defensively, William & Mary forced 20 turnovers, turning those into 19 turnover points. The Tribe also recorded 13 steals, led by Dance, who had three.
Sophomore Cassidy Geddes added a career-high six assists, the most by a nephew this season. Mikeska contributed seven points off the bench, while Legulon chipped in with six points and a career-high four rebounds.
For UNCW, Tia Dobson led the way with 14 points, while Zelaya, Miller and Taylor Henderson each added 10. Zelaya also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double performance.
The Tribe’s defense limited UNCW to just 34.4 percent (22-of-64) shooting from the field, including a cold 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
William & Mary is back in action Sunday when they host Elon at Kaplan Arena.