Saturday, March 16, No. 9 William and Mary women’s basketball (15-18, 8-10 CAA) defeated No. 3 Campbell (21-12, 12-6 CAA) 66-63 in the title game of the Coastal Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Championship, winning its first-ever conference title and securing the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
“Everybody contributed, everybody deserved this, everybody learned this, and I’m so proud of this team,” head coach Erin Dickerson Davis said.
Dickerson Davis highlighted the adversity the team faced during the regular season.
“We are built for this, and that’s what we kept saying,” she said. “Nobody knows what we’ve gone through, and we stuck together through it all.”
Senior guard Bella Nascimento echoed her coach’s sentiment.
“Everybody’s proud of each other and just kept going and pushing forward,” Nascimento said.
The Green and Gold played Thursday, March 13, through Sunday, March 16, at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., taking down No. 8 Hofstra (14-16, 9-9 CAA), No. 1 North Carolina A&T (19-11, 15-3 CAA), No. 4 Drexel (17-13, 12-6 CAA) and Campbell.
Despite losing to the Camels by over 20 points twice during the regular-season, the Tribe turned the tables on its opponent and clinched the victory on Sunday.
The first quarter proved challenging for William and Mary, as Camels senior forward Courtney Dahlquist sank an early three-pointer that sparked a 14-point scoring run that continued until Nascimento made a mid-range jump shot five minutes into the game.
Although senior forward Anahi-Lee Cauley, freshman forward Natalie Fox and Nascimento each converted layups, the Green and Gold struggled to cut into the Camels’ lead as the period went on. Campbell junior guard Gianni Boone’s two-point tip shot gave her team a 20-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
William and Mary failed to find an offensive rhythm in the first 10 minutes, going 0-3 from behind the arc and shooting 22.2% from the field.
The Tribe’s offense underwent little improvement in the second quarter, and the Camels’ sharp passes and speedy cuts kept the Green and Gold at bay. Sophomore guard Monet Dance started the scoring with a jumper, but Dahlquist quickly answered with a layup.
With 2:05 left in the half, William and Mary sophomore guard Cassidy Geddes drained a three off a Cauley assist. A buzzer-beating triple from Nascimento narrowed the Camels’ lead to 34-26 as both teams headed to the locker room.
The Green and Gold ramped up its intensity in the third quarter, chipping away at Campbell’s lead. While Campbell took control of the court early on, graduate forward Rebekah Frisby-Smith converted back-to-back threes for the Tribe, reducing the deficit to 43-35 with 4:21 on the clock.
In the 27th minute, Frisby-Smith responded to a Boone jump shot with another three-pointer, this time assisted by Cauley.
Nascimento brought energy in the final minute of the quarter, driving to the hoop for a layup, drawing a foul and sinking a free throw. A buzzer-beater three from Frisby-Smith pulled the Tribe within four of the Camels at 53-49.
With the momentum shifting in favor of the Green and Gold, both teams fought relentlessly to seize control and secure the victory.
Nascimento set the tone early in the final period, converting a layup just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. While Boone answered with a layup of her own, Geddes reacted with a quick layup in return. With 6:45 remaining, Geddes received a pass from Dance and buried a three, putting the Tribe on top at 56-55, their first lead of the afternoon.
To put Campbell back in front, junior guard Gemma Núñez responded with a layup. The Camels’ one-point edge was short-lived, however. After Nascimento converted a two-point tip shot in the 35th minute, the Tribe reclaimed its advantage. With 11 seconds remaining, a final Nascimento jump shot sealed the deal for the Green and Gold, securing the 66-63 victory.
Nascimento recorded a career-high 33 points on the day, scoring 20 points during the Green and Gold’s second-half turnaround. Nascimento, Geddes and Dance earned spots on the All-Tournament team.
“It all started with belief,” Nascimento said following the championship win. “Every person believed that they could do it and that we could win as a team, not individuals.”
The Tribe’s championship victory was the culmination of a hard-fought tournament run. Before facing Campbell, William and Mary battled through three hotly-contested matchups to earn its spot in the title game.
Thursday’s postseason opener came against Hofstra, a team that dealt the Tribe a 54-34 Senior Day loss during the regular season.
After winning the opening tipoff, Hofstra opened the scoring with a jumper from graduate forward Ramatoulaye Keita. Courtesy of an assist from Nascimento, junior forward Kayla Rolph put the Green and Gold in the lead with a three-point jumper.
In the fifth minute, the Pride used a six-point run to equalize the score at 8-8. Nascimento quickly responded with a jump shot, and graduate center Kayla Beckwith followed with another.
The Pride played catch-up for the remainder of the quarter but ultimately failed to cut into the Tribe’s lead. With 38 seconds to spare before the break, a jumper from Fox extended the Green and Gold’s advantage to 18-12.
The second quarter saw back-and-forth action that began when Nascimento stole the ball and scored a layup 22 seconds into the period.
Hofstra refused to back down, rattling off a nine-point run sparked by a three-pointer and jump shot from junior guard Emma Von Essen. In the 14th minute of play, freshman forward LaNae’ Corbett converted back-to-back layups, putting her team just one point behind William and Mary at 21-20.
William and Mary ultimately ended the half with a 36-33 advantage, shooting 41.7% overall and 30.8% from behind the arc. Racking up 11 points in the first 20 minutes of play, Nascimento paced the Tribe in scoring.
“It’s just a confidence thing,” Nascimento said. “I believe in myself and my teammates, and they have confidence in me.”
The start of the third saw the Pride play catch-up once again. Gooden began the scoring with a layup, but Rolph responded with a three-point jumper, courtesy of an assist from Geddes.
Although a three from graduate guard Janaia Fargo again placed the Pride a point behind the Green and Gold, the Tribe overpowered Hofstra with hot shooting. A Geddes jump shot in the 24th minute solidified William and Mary’s lead at 48-40.
The Tribe seized control of the third quarter, scoring three more three-pointers. After receiving a crisp pass from Fox, Geddes drained a buzzer-beating triple, giving her team a 57-46 lead heading into the final period.
William and Mary maintained its advantage during the final 10 minutes of play, going on an eight-point scoring run. 40 seconds after making a pair of free throws, Cauley converted a layup thanks to a Nascimento assist. A jumper from Nascimento and a Geddes layup extended the Tribe’s lead to a game-high 18 points with 4:01 to spare.
For Dickerson Davis, the Green and Gold’s 76-65 victory meant more than just the final score.
“I think this is the most together we’ve been all season,” Dickerson Davis said. “We talked about believing, we talked about having faith the size of a mustard seed, not worrying about how the season ended for us, but just moving forward into tournament time.”
Nascimento led the Tribe in scoring with 17 points, followed by Dance with 12. On the opponent’s side, Gooden led the Pride with 18 points.
Heading into Friday’s matchup against top-seeded N.C. A&T, Nascimento stressed the importance of teamwork.
“A&T is going to be a whole team effort,” Nascimento said. “Ultimately, we have to stick together and play together, because when we’re together, nobody can stop us.”
The Tribe’s 74-66 victory against the Aggies proved Nascimento’s words true. The game marked William and Mary women’s basketball’s first-ever postseason win against a No. 1 seed. Additionally, Dance recorded a career-high 27 points while shooting 77% from the field.
“I just need to do whatever it takes to help my team win,” Dance said after the game. “That was really all I was thinking.”
Although the Tribe lost both regular-season matchups against the Aggies, Dickerson Davis highlighted key differences in Friday’s game.
“You have to play to win,” Dickerson Davis said. “I think the momentum that we had yesterday just really carried us into today.”
Dance converted her first three-pointer less than a minute into the matchup, putting the Tribe on the scoreboard, before nailing her second triple two minutes later.
Despite impressive performances from Aggies senior guard Jordyn Dorsey and redshirt junior center Chaniya Clark, the Green and Gold kept the game competitive. Nascimento quickly countered a Dorsey tip-in with a three of her own, while Geddes halted a four-point Aggies run with a layup.
N.C. A&T finally managed to erase the Tribe’s lead with 1:50 remaining in the period. After Geddes sunk a three in the eighth minute, the Aggies answered with a 10-point scoring run. Graduate forward Daija Powell’s layup gave N.C. A&T a 15-14 edge, and a three-pointer from graduate guard Maleia Bracone extended the Aggies’ lead to 20-14 at the break.
The Green and Gold kept pace with the Aggies’ high-octane play in the second quarter. Fifty-four seconds in, Geddes responded to a Bracone jumper with one of her own. One minute later, Geddes drilled another jump shot, narrowing N.C. A&T’s lead to 22-18.
In the 14th minute of play, another Dance three brought the Tribe within striking distance of the Aggies. After a steal and layup by Clark, Beckwith answered with a two-pointer of her own, placing the Tribe one point behind N.C. A&T again at 26-25.
The rest of the half was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team gaining more than a three-point edge. In the final minute, Geddes buried a jumper to knot the score at 34-34. Despite late shot attempts from Dorsey, Nascimento and Aggies sophomore forward Paris Locke, none found the basket, sending both teams into the locker room still tied at 34-34.
The Aggies gained an early advantage in the third quarter, with Locke scoring five points within the period’s first minute. Geddes finally answered with a jump shot, but the Tribe had fallen behind 39-36.
After the teams traded baskets, N.C. A&T found its rhythm. Starting with a fast-break layup from Locke, the Aggies went on a nine-point scoring run, extending their lead to 53-41.
Despite a slow start to the half, the Tribe remained resilient as Geddes sank two free throws with 1:14 left in the period. The Green and Gold added a layup from sophomore center Tika Sallman and a Geddes jump shot, ending the quarter down at 53-47.
Dance helped power the Tribe throughout an intense fourth quarter, answering a Clark layup with a three-point jumper in the 32nd minute of play. With 7:10 left in regulation, Dance buried a fast-break layup and a three. After Locke and Dorsey failed to convert jumpers, Geddes equalized the score at 59-59.
Although the Aggies took the lead with 3:45 to spare, Rolph evened the score at 64-64 with a clutch three-pointer. In the final two minutes of regulation, both teams struggled to convert their shot attempts, leaving the score unchanged and sending the game into overtime.
The Green and Gold took control in the extra period. Dance opened the scoring with a layup. Aggies sophomore forward Darrionna Howard and Locke attempted to answer but both missed, allowing Dance to extend the Tribe’s lead with a three-pointer.
After another missed jumper from Locke, Geddes sealed the Green and Gold’s victory. With 2:10 remaining, she nailed a jump shot of her own, followed by a three-pointer. While Clark managed to connect on a late tip-in, it was insufficient for the Aggies, and William and Mary closed out the game with a 74-66 victory.
N.C. A&T head coach and 2025 CAA Coach of the Year Tarrell Robinson commended the Tribe’s determination.
“They played with a refuse-to-lose mentality,” Robinson said. “They played with a lot of confidence today, they survived a lot of runs that we had made and they were the better team in overtime.”
As the Tribe geared up for Saturday’s semifinal game against defending CAA Championship winner Drexel, Dickerson Davis emphasized the importance of focusing on the present.
“Today is behind us right now,” Dickerson Davis said after the quarterfinal matchup. “We won, we celebrated and now it’s time for us to prepare for whoever we’re going to have next and then get ready to go.”
The Green and Gold defeated the Dragons 76-54, becoming the first No. 9 seed in CAA tournament history to reach the championship. Although it fell to the Dragons in overtime during the regular season, the Tribe took the court with confidence.
“We caught some fire early,” Dickerson Davis said. “We came in as the lowest seed in every game we played, and so our mentality was, ‘What do you have to lose at this point?’”
Drexel won the opening tip and opened the scoring with a three-pointer from senior guard Amaris Baker. Sophomore forward Deja Evans then converted a layup to give the Dragons a five-point lead in the second minute of play.
Nascimento finally put the Green and Gold on the scoreboard with a three-pointer, courtesy of a Dance assist. After Drexel graduate guard Cara McCormack answered with a three of her own, Nascimento struck again from behind the arc, cutting the Dragons’ lead to 8-6 with 8:30 left in the quarter.
Both teams traded blows, separated by just one point for the majority of the period. Tied at 11-11, Sallman converted a layup in the eighth minute, giving the Tribe a 13-11 edge. Baker quickly responded with a layup, equalizing the score again.
The Dragons then rattled off a pivotal six-point scoring run, but Geddes halted their momentum with a clutch jump shot. Dance converted a three 30 seconds later, and the Dragons clung to a 19-18 lead.
Although Geddes exited the game in the 13th minute due to an ankle injury, the Tribe took control in the second quarter. The Green and Gold managed a twelve-point scoring run that started with a Dance layup and ended with a Sallman jump shot. With the scoreboard reading 34-21, Evans picked up the pace again, converting three layups and two free throws to bring the Dragons within striking distance. Although neither team managed to score in the last 2:50 of the half, Evans’ eruption narrowed the Green and Gold’s lead to 34-29.
Dickerson Davis identified the third quarter as a turning point for the Tribe.
“After we regrouped, we went right back into what was working,” Dickerson Davis said. “We were down 12 yesterday and were able to figure out how to come back, so no runs should scare us right now.”
Rolph came out firing, converting a jumper 20 seconds into the half, thanks to a Fox assist. Although McCormack answered with a three-pointer, Dance scored one of her own in the 22nd minute.
The rest of the quarter was a field day for the Green and Gold. In response to a Baker layup, Cauley converted a jump shot, igniting a 13-point scoring run that rattled the Dragons’ confidence again. With 1:05 left in the period, Cauley capped off the offensive surge with another jumper that put William and Mary ahead 56-34. Although Baker added five points for the Dragons in the final minute, the Tribe ended the quarter with a commanding 17-point lead.
Building on its dominant third-quarter performance, the Tribe cruised through the fourth quarter. Although Baker made a layup 15 seconds into the period, Rolph responded with a three. While the Dragons managed to rack up 15 points during the quarter, the Tribe’s advantage proved insurmountable, with buckets from Dance, Frisby-Smith, Beckwith and Nascimento padding the lead. Freshman forward Marley Long concluded the Tribe’s scoring with a layup, sealing the Green and Gold’s 76-54 victory.
Recording 20 points each, Nascimento and Baker led their teams in scoring.
According to Nascimento, the Tribe never doubted its ability to reach its first conference championship game since 1993.
“We knew where we wanted to be, we had a goal in mind,” Nascimento said. “Even though we could be happy today, tomorrow’s a new day, tomorrow we have to come in with the same focus and intensity, same passion, same grit, so we can win the game.”
The 16th-seeded Green and Gold will make its NCAA Tournament debut against 16th-seeded High Point (21-11, 13-3 Big South) Thursday, March 20, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The winner of the game will go on to play top-seeded Texas (31-3, 15-1 SEC) Saturday, March 22 at the same venue.
