Sunday, Jan. 12, William and Mary women’s basketball (6-10, 3-2 CAA) bounced back with an impressive 83-74 win against interconference foe Monmouth (8-9, 3-3 CAA) at the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, N.J.
The Tribe entered Sunday’s matchup fresh off a tough 66-48 loss to Stony Brook (8-7, 3-1 CAA) just two days earlier, one that stung Tribed players and coaches harder than usual.
When asked what Sunday’s game meant to the team, head coach Erin Dickerson Davis explained how determined William and Mary was to shake the disappointing matchup against the Seawolves.
“I was just very proud of how they responded,” Dickerson Davis said. “Stony Brook was obviously a really rough night for us. Practice the next day was a really rough practice for us. Shootaround today was a pretty tough shootaround for us. I wasn’t sure how they would have responded to that.”
Despite the uneasiness headed into Sunday’s Coastal Athletic Association matchup, William and Mary came out of the gates eager to add a much-needed win to its season total. Less than a minute into the first quarter, sophomore guard Cassidy Geddes started the scoring off for the Tribe, converting on an easy layup in the paint. As the quarter went on, all 10 of the Tribe’s first points came courtesy of easy layups, establishing an early dominant paint presence to the hosting Hawks. With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, senior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley knocked down a jumper assisted by senior guard Bella Nascimento, increasing the Tribe lead to 12-7 before the first media timeout of the half. The Tribe’s offense seemed to overpower Monmouth’s defense in the quarter, and after a last-second 3-pointer from the Hawks, William and Mary finished the first quarter with a 17-12 lead.
In the second quarter, Monmouth’s offense came to life. Fifteen seconds into the second, graduate guard Kemari Reynolds knocked down a deep three for the Hawks, cutting the Tribe lead to two. Both teams traded layups, and after a Tribe foul, fifth-year forward Taisha Exanor cut the Tribe lead to one with a made free throw. Nascimento then took matters into her own hands, scoring four unanswered points for the Tribe.
Nascimento, who finished Sunday’s matchup with a game and career-high 27 points, stepped up for the Tribe under pressure.
“I believe in being totally honest and transparent, and I told the starters today in shootaround, ‘if we don’t start well today, I’m changing the lineup,’” Dickerson Davis said. “I think Bella remembers that from last year, and how hard it was for her to get back into that lineup once she fell out of it. So, kudos to her for taking that challenge head-on and saying somebody may come out of this lineup, but it’s definitely not going to be me.”
Nascimento finished the second quarter with eight points, just enough for the Green and Gold to hold on to a one-point lead heading into the half.
In the third, William and Mary’s offense started to slowly pull away from the Hawks’ defensive efforts. Geddes started the second half scoring with a made jumper, which Nascimento quickly followed up with a 3-pointer, extending the Tribe’s lead to 40-34.
When asked about the potential of the Tribe’s backcourt, Geddes explained how dangerous William and Mary can really be when she and Nascimento are playing well.
“When both of us can be on in the same game, defenses can’t plan for that, so we were really happy to see that come together today,” Geddes said.
After five consecutive points from junior forward Kayla Rolph, Geddes and Nascimento combined for seven of the Tribe’s final 10 points of the quarter, giving the Tribe a 55-51 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
In the fourth, Geddes completely took over. After scoring 11 points through the first three quarters, the sophomore guard exploded for 15 more in the fourth alone. Sunday’s 26 points marked Geddes’s career high as well, but to Dickerson Davis, Geddes’s and Nascimento’s scoring were only part of what made their play so impressive on Sunday.
“[The team] responded. I think that’s a testament to Cassidy and Bella stepping up in their leadership. That’s something that I talked about pregame — we’re waiting for someone to emerge as our leader, and not just with the points,” Dickerson Davis said.
Dickerson Davis also explained how Geddes’s play on both sides of the ball helped the team win on Sunday.
“Cassidy was leading,” Dickerson Davis said. “She was not only one of our best offensive players today but was by far our best defensive player.”
Geddes attributed her stellar play to the encouragement she received from coaches.
“My coaching staff and then my head coach’s father were telling me the whole practice before this that every shot I’m going to take is going to go in,” Geddes said. “I have to feel like I’m the best player on the floor, just getting back to that is knowing that I’m going to hit every shot when it matters.”
Additionally, a little added encouragement from her mom helped.
“My mom is from New Jersey, so she always tells me that I have to beat her home state,” Geddes said.
As the fourth quarter came to a close, timely free throw shooting from Geddes, Nascimento and Rolph secured the Tribe’s 83-74 win on the road.
Despite finally gaining some mid-season momentum, the Tribe was forced to wait over a full week before its next game, something it planned to use to strengthen its team intensity moving forward.
“I think [Sunday’s game] showed us what the toughness we need every night is going to be,” Geddes said. “Going into the bye, we’re going to take that into every practice because we know we can’t just relax in practice and turn it on in the game.
Sunday, Jan. 19, the week of preparation paid off, as the Tribe won its second consecutive CAA matchup on the road against Northeastern (1-13, 0-5 CAA) 74-66 at the Cabot Center in Boston, Ma.
The surging Tribe looks to take down interconference opponent North Carolina Wilmington (9-9, 3-2 CAA) Friday, Jan. 24 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.