William and Mary women’s basketball (1-3, 0-0 CAA) dropped two home games as it fell Wednesday, Nov. 12, to Richmond (3-1, 0-0 A-10), before dropping a tense contest against Old Dominion (3-1,0-0 Sun Belt) Sunday, Nov. 16.
Despite a season-high 24 points from junior guard Cassidy Geddes, the Tribe fell Wednesday evening at Kaplan Arena to local rival Richmond Spiders 84-58.
The Spiders never trailed throughout the night and were led by senior forward Maggie Doogan, who was recently ranked by ESPN as the 25th best women’s player in the country, in addition to being named to the preseason Atlantic 10 all-conference first team. Doogan, who came into the game averaging 25 points per game, matched her season average while also chipping in with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
The opening minutes of the game set the tone for what was to come, with the Spiders scoring their first 14 points at the rim — primarily through Doogan and senior guard Rachel Ullstrom. The Tribe stayed close through the first quarter, but a 27-point second quarter from the visitors opened a 20-point deficit at halftime.
In the first minutes of the second half, the Tribe reduced the deficit to 13, thanks to a personal 9-0 run by Geddes. However, the home team was unable to reduce the deficit further, as Richmond’s stellar ball movement found open shots on the perimeter and around the rim.
While the Kaplan Arena crowd stayed with the Tribe throughout the second half, Richmond extended the lead back to 20 and further as the clock ticked towards zero in the fourth quarter.
The Tribe came into Tuesday night shooting 38.95% from the field and 30.55% from three through its first two games, but were held far below those averages by Richmond, shooting 30.1% from the field and 17.1% from three. The 41 threes attempted by the Tribe were nearly double the number attempted against their previous opponents, Davidson and Barton (20 and 23, respectively), and their 2024-25 season average.
That uncharacteristic number of threes, along with the Tribe’s overall advantage in total shots taken (73 to 58) — more shots than the visiting Spiders — was largely due to a 20-10 offensive rebound advantage. The effort on the glass was a specific point of pride for head coach Erin Dickerson Davis amid the disappointing night. “I don’t think we’ve offensive-rebounded like this in the four seasons that I’ve been here, so I think that was a huge bright spot for us,” she said. Dickerson Davis, however, will be looking for her team to take better advantage of its rebounding, as the Tribe scored 14 second-chance points, compared to Richmond’s 16.
For Geddes, the hustle plays from her, and the team was also bright.
“Sometimes shots aren’t falling, so I think getting steals on defense, diving out of bounds to save possessions, really gets not only me going but our team going,” Geddes said.
Even with the lackluster shooting performance, Dickerson Davis defended her team’s shot selection and remained fully confident that those same shots would fall in the coming games.
“Your highest percentage three-point shot is typically an offensive-rebound kickout for three,” said Dickerson Davis. “I know that this team can make threes, we do it every day in practice.”
Dickerson Davis also left a warning for the Tribe’s upcoming opponents.
“I dare people to continue to let us shoot that many threes,” she said.
When asked postgame, Dickerson Davis elaborated on her plan to approach Doogan coming into the night.
“Once you focus on one player, you just open it up for so many other people … we know if we threw other bodies at Maggie Doogan, she is a good enough passer, and we would give up even more threes,” Davis said.
To make matters worse for the Tribe in their effort to keep the 6-foot-2 Doogan quiet, starting sophomore forwards Marley Long and Natalie Fox dealt with foul trouble all night, each picking up four personal fouls.
Looking ahead to the Tribe’s upcoming games, captain Geddes’ main takeaway was clear.
“We always fight, no matter what. I think this group is going to stay together. We are going to use this to prepare even harder,” Geddes said.
Sunday, Nov. 16, William and Mary women’s basketball played a back-and-forth game against Old Dominion, unfortunately losing 56-53 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
The Tribe entered the court looking to redeem itself from a disappointing Nov. 12, loss against Richmond (84-58) and started the game strong. After the Monarchs put up the first three points, the home team rallied, building momentum through steadfast free throws from junior guard Monet Dance, a strong defensive presence, and three straight layups from junior center Jana Sallman, putting the Tribe out front with a 12-9 lead in the first quarter.
The Monarchs were faced with an unflinching defense from the Tribe’s Fox, who finished the day with two blocks. Freshman guard Dynasti Pierce knocked down a three-pointer with eight minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the quarter, furthering the gap to 15-9. As the quarter progressed, both Fox and Sallman’s efforts put forth additional layups for the Tribe. This progress was short-lived as the Monarchs pierced the armor of what appeared to be a coordinated, communicative and unbreakable team. Responding with consistent shooting and taking advantage of William and Mary turnovers and fouls, the Monarchs put themselves in the lead with Old Dominion junior guard Dalanna Carter stealing the ball and bringing the score to 21-27 at the end of the second. The Monarchs outscored the Tribe 18-9 in the quarter.
The third quarter was riddled with excitement as the Tribe regained its momentum, giving ODU a taste of its own medicine by capitalizing on turnovers and successfully executing fast-break strategies. Dance played a major role in the swing, bullying Monarch ballhandlers on defense and getting to the foul line on offense. Geddes hit a 3-pointer, two free throws, and a go-ahead layup to make the score 37-35 in favor of the Tribe with 4:55 remaining in the third. In the final 2:30 of the third, the Tribe found rhythm with senior guard Alexa Mikeska sinking both her free throws and junior guard Kyah Smith scoring a layup to bring the score to 43-39 at the end of the third. The Tribe outscored ODU 22-12 in the period.
The fourth quarter was a battle for dominance. The Monarchs brought the score to 43-44 through consistent jumpshots and taking advantage of the Tribe’s defensive gaps. The score line fluctuated between the two teams throughout the final quarter. With 6:51 remaining in the contest, Fox successfully converted an and-one after drawing a foul off a tip-in, giving the Tribe a lead again. The lead was short-lived, however, as ODU brought the score back to a tie at 46-46 following a made jumper from senior guard Simaru Fields. With 5:31 remaining in the game, Sallman checked back into the game and immediately made her presence felt, converting two quick layups to give the Tribe a 51-48 lead. A three from Monarch graduate student En’Dya Buford tied it back up with 3:42 to play. With the final moments of the game upon the Tribe, Geddes put up another layup, bringing the score to 53-51, but ODU senior guard Simone Cunningham tied it at 53 following two free throws with 2:06 on the clock.
In the waning moments of the game, Monarch senior guard Simaru Fields hit a massive three-pointer with 1:26 left, leaving the Tribe trailing at 53-56. The home team had one final moment to bring the game to overtime, but the Green and Gold fell just short as Geddes missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, leaving the Monarchs with a 56-53 victory.
Dickerson Davis commented on the final play of the game.
“It did go a little bit slower than we wanted, however, I mean, we got the best look we were going to get at that point in time on a play we have practiced a hundred times, that we have run quite a bit, and so [Geddes] got a good look, and I would go to her again for the same shot next game,” Dickerson Davis said.
Dickerson Davis expressed an opportunistic point of view.
“I do think that playing this game is going to prepare us for Howard (4-1, 0-0 MEAC) and Tennessee State (0-4, 0-0 OVC),” she said.
“The loss, it is what it is, but there were definitely some bright spots and some places we can grow from here,” Dickerson Davis said.
The Tribe now sets its sights on the Bison of Howard in a matchup Sunday, Nov. 23, at Burr Arena in Washington, D.C.
