Friday, Nov. 29, William and Mary women’s basketball (1-6, 0-0 CAA) came up short in its third consecutive contest, losing 74-63 to Howard (5-2, 0-0 MEAC) at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
The Tribe — whose slow start in 2024 has surprised Green and Gold fans — fell into its second three-game skid before the team even enters Coastal Athletic Association conference play.
Friday’s game started strong for William and Mary, largely thanks to impressive shooting from multiple Green and Gold players. Senior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley got early points on the board for the Tribe, scoring the home team’s first three points of the day, courtesy of a free throw and fastbreak layup midway into the fifth minute. After multiple Howard buckets and two made free throws from junior forward Kayla Rolph, graduate forward Rebekah Frisby-Smith drilled the Tribe’s first 3-point shot of the day with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. After junior guard Alexa Mikeska converted on a tough layup in the paint, with four seconds left in the first, sophomore guard Cassidy Geddes drilled a 3-pointer. Heading into the first break, the Tribe posted a 13-11 lead.
Geddes’s hot hand picked up right where it left as the second quarter began. After a Howard three from senior guard Nyla Cooper, Geddes knocked down her second three of the day, stretching the Green and Gold lead to four with just over nine minutes left in the half. Over the next five minutes, both teams battled to control the lead. After back-and-forth scoring, with just under three minutes left in the half, graduate forward Kaiya Creek knocked down a clutch three for the Bison, giving Howard a 27-25 lead. Less than a minute later, Geddes responded with yet another three of her own, reclaiming the Tribe lead. 40 seconds later, sophomore guard Monet Dance tacked on another Green and Gold three, extending the William and Mary lead to four. As the second quarter came to an end, both teams scored 21 points apiece, and the Tribe entered the break ahead of the Bison at 34-32.
Unlike most of the first half, Howard completely controlled the third quarter. The Bison started the second half on a 5-0 run, courtesy of a free throw by Creek and a successful tip-in and jumper from junior forward Nile Miller. William and Mary responded quickly, thanks to two free throws from Frisby-Smith and two 3-point makes from Geddes. However, the Bison could not be slowed down. Creek drilled a three of her own, cutting the Tribe lead to 42-40 before freshman guard Saniyah King tied the game with a tough layup in the paint. Creek then converted on a fastbreak layup, and after another successful tip-in from King, the visitors found themselves on top with just over three minutes left in the third. Geddes tried her best to respond, drilling a short jumper in the paint, but the Green and Gold’s defense was no match for the surging Bison offense. Howard finished the quarter on a 5-1 run and entered the fourth leading 51-45 after outscoring the Tribe 19-11 in the quarter.
In the fourth, Howard slowly pulled away even further from the Tribe. After two Bison layups and a 3-point make from graduate student guard Destiny Howell, William and Mary trailed by double digits for the first time all game. Despite nine fourth-quarter points by Geddes, Howard’s lead proved too large to overcome. As time expired at the end of the fourth, William and Mary dropped the matchup at 74-63.
Despite the loss, Geddes’s career-high 23 points was one of the few bright spots in what seemed to be a dark day for the Green and Gold. On a similar note, William and Mary’s bench outscored the Bison bench 27-24, despite its starters getting outscored 50-36.
Friday, Dec. 6, the Green and Gold look to defeat McNeese State (4-3, 0-0 Southland) as part of the Shirley Duncan Classic in Farmville, Va.