Sunday, Feb. 18, William and Mary women’s basketball (12-11, 8-4 CAA) lost its three-game Coastal Athletic Association win streak, falling to Campbell (13-11, 6-7 CAA) 57-46 away at the Gilbert Craig Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C.
The Tribe entered Buies Creek on a hot streak, beating CAA opponents Delaware and Hampton on the road last week en route to cementing a program best 8-3 record through 11 CAA matchups this season.
However, after a full week break from in-game action, the Green and Gold began Sunday’s game slower than expected. After two layups from freshman guard Cassidy Geddes and one courtesy of graduate student forward Nylah Young, William and Mary was held scoreless in the last six minutes of the first quarter. In that time, the Camels took off on a 13-0 run, headlined by five points each from graduate student guard Shy Tuelle and graduate student forward Svenia Nurenberg.
Nurenberg, who finished Sunday’s game with 17 points for the Camels, had an incredibly efficient day from the field. In just seven shots, the graduate student forward went 3-5 from three-point land and knocked down all six free throws she attempted.
In the second quarter, William and Mary flipped the script completely. Campbell’s offense turned ice cold, scoring only three points throughout the entire quarter. The Tribe took off offensively with Young starting the scoring just 13 seconds into the quarter, finishing a tough jumper in the paint. On the next offensive possession, junior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley knocked down her first basket of the day, converting on a solid two-point jumper to cut the Camel lead to five.
After another layup from Young, Geddes finished a tough fast-break layup after forcing a steal, cutting the lead to one and causing a Campbell timeout. Despite the Camels’ attempt to stop the bleeding, Geddes knocked down a three-pointer just minutes later, giving the Tribe a 17-16 lead with just under four minutes left in the half. After two more Cauley buckets, the Tribe ended the half on a 16-3 run and went to the locker room leading 22-18.
The third quarter, unlike the first two, was far more even. In the first three minutes of the second half, Young wreaked havoc on the Camel defense, scoring eight consecutive Tribe points. In response, the Camels caught fire from behind the three-point arc, connecting on two consecutive threes to cut the Tribe’s lead to six with just over six minutes left in the quarter. After a couple traded baskets from both sides, Young added two more to her game total, going a perfect two for two from the free throw line.
However, the Camels persisted, firing back with its third three-pointer of the quarter, this time courtesy of graduate student forward Brittany Staves. Both teams continued trading baskets until just 20 seconds left in the quarter, when Staves knocked down a timely three to secure the Camels’ lead once again. Now down by one, the Tribe turned to junior guard Bella Nascimento to take back the lead with just seconds left. Luckily, after Nascimento missed from inside the paint, senior center Kayla Beckwith cleaned up the board and knocked down a last-second layup, giving the Tribe a one-point lead heading into the fourth.
Despite the momentum from Beckwith’s clutch shot, William and Mary reverted back to its first quarter play in the fourth. In 10 minutes, the Green and Gold only managed to score seven points, giving Campbell the opportunity to run away with the game at home.
With solid shooting from the free-throw line, the Camels gradually pulled ahead. After a three from Nurenberg and a layup from senior forward Christabel Ezumah, Campbell extended its lead to double digits with just under four minutes left in the game. Despite its best effort, the Tribe was never able to close the lead, and as time expired, William and Mary found itself on the wrong side of a CAA matchup for the first time in four games.
Regardless of the loss, this Tribe season has been one for the record books, especially for head coach Erin Dickerson Davis. After the team’s 65-55 win against Hampton on Feb. 11, Dickerson Davis became the fastest Tribe head coach to 30 career wins since 1929 and fastest to 20 CAA wins in program history.
“I wish I could say I did it and it was all me and pat myself on the back, but that’s just not true,” Dickerson Davis said. “These girls, no matter what I say, no matter what I do, come out here and they want to be the best. I’m proud of everything that we’ve gone through to get to this point, and I just hope that they continue to carry that confidence and that demeanor that we’ve been trying to instill in them into every game.”
The Tribe will look to get back in the win column Feb. 23, when it hosts CAA opponent Elon at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
