WILLIAMSBURG — A hot shooting second half from Monmouth proved too much to overcome for the William & Mary women’s basketball team on Sunday afternoon, dropping a home contest to the Hawks, 67-56.
Monmouth (12-6, 5-2 CAA) were a blazing 17-of-23 from the field in the second half, including 10-for-12 in the fourth quarter, to outscore the Tribe 41-29 in the final 20 minutes.
The Tribe only mustered nine points in the third quarter on 2-of-17 shooting, seeing their one-point halftime lead evaporate.
W&M (9-10, 5-3 CAA) sprinted out to a 7-2 lead just 1:42 into the game, thanks to five straight points from Rebekah Frisby-Smith and a bucket in the paint from Cassidy Geddes.
The Hawks responded with a prompt 12-0 run, holding a 14-7 lead with 3:26 to go in the frame.
Bella Nascimento turned a Cassidy Geddes steal into two points to cut it to a four-point Monmouth lead, but the Hawks scored the last four points of the quarter to lead 18-10 after one.
Nascimento led all scorers on the afternoon with 19 points on 8-of-19 shooting in 33 minutes. She also handed out a game-high five assists.
Nylah Young spearheaded the Tribe offense in the second quarter, scoring eight of her 13 points in the frame. Her driving layup with 5:11 remaining in the half made the score 20-18 in favor of the Hawks.
Young once again pulled the Green and Gold within a single possession with a hook shot at the 2:40 mark, this time making it a 24-23 game.
W&M ended up taking a 27-26 lead into halftime, their only lead of the entire second quarter, once again thanks to Young. She scored in the paint for her fourth bucket of the frame with 38 seconds left.
Monmouth wasted no time pushing back ahead in the third quarter and held between a one- and six-point lead for the entire stanza.
Despite the icy shooting in the third, W&M remained in striking distance thanks to forcing seven Monmouth turnovers in the quarter.
The Hawks led 42-36 with 10 minutes to go.
Nascimento and Geddes each hit shots to keep the Tribe hanging around early in the fourth, with a Nascimento triple with 6:45 to play making it a 49-45 game.
Monmouth put the game away right after that, however, going on a 12-2 run over the next 2:39.
The Hawks coasted from there, never leading by less than 10, on their way to a 67-56 victory.
Monmouth outrebounded the Tribe 43-27 on the day and grabbed a whopping 10 offensive rebounds in the first half to set the tone.
W&M finished 21-of-60 from the floor for 35% while Monmouth shot 49% on field goals. The Hawks were 5-for-18 from 3-point land with the Tribe going 6-of-19 from deep.
Cassidy Geddes added 10 points for William & Mary as well to be the third player in double figures for the Tribe.
Up Next
W&M has their first bye of the CAA season on Friday before hosting Drexel on Sunday, Feb. 4, in their Gold Rush game. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive t-shirts. Tip is set for 1 p.m. on FloHoops.