WILLIAMSBURG — Despite a career-high 23 points from sophomore Cassidy Geddes and a team season-high 10 3-pointers, William & Mary women’s basketball dropped its day after Thanksgiving matinee with Howard, 74-63, on Friday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.
Geddes scored 17 of her game-high 23 points in the second half and knocked down five of the Tribe’s 10 3-pointers. Classmate Monet Dance tallied career-highs as well with nine points and seven rebounds.
W&M (1-6) led by two at the half after shooting 61.5% in the second quarter and hit seven first-half 3-pointers. Howard (5-2) took control with a big run at the end of the third quarter before putting game away with a 12-2 run in the back half of the final period.
Along with its double-digit 3-pointers, W&M dished out a season-high 20 assists on its 22 made field goals. The Tribe hit 37.9% (22-of-58) from the field, including 37% (10-of-27) from 3. The Green and Gold had a 41-39 advantage on the glass
Graduate student Kayla Beckwith finished with a nice stat line of six points, eight rebounds, a career-high five assists, and three blocked shots. Classmate Rebekah Frisby-Smith tallied six points, four rebounds, and five assists, while freshman Marley Long had a career-high six on a pair of 3-pointers.
Howard’s Tyana Walker knocked down a corner 3-pointer for the first field goal of the game, before a Nyla Cooper triple to beat the shot clock gave the visitors a 9-5 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
W&M used a 7-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second. Sophomore Jana Sallman hit junior Alexa Mikeska with a nice pocket pass for a lay-up to cut the deficit to one, before Geddes ended the quarter with a deep 3-pointer to send W&M to first break with a 13-11 lead.
A Sallman hook in the paint to start the second quarter extended the margin to 15-11. The Bison used an 8-2 run to move back on front. Back-to-back Destiny Howell buckets pulled Howard even at 18, before a Saniyah King jumper gave the visitor at 22-20 lead at the 6:01 mark.
The Tribe hit four of its final six shots from 3-point range to take a two-point lead into the locker room. Dance and Long each hit a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch to give W&M a 34-32 lead at the half.
It was a quarter of runs in the third. Howard scored the first five points of the frame, including back-to-back Nile Miller buckets to put the Bison on top 37-34 just over two minutes into the half.
W&M answered with an 8-0 run to retake the lead. Geddes capped the spurt with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the hosts a 42-37 cushion.
The Bison seized control behind a 14-2 run. Kaiya Creek (5) and Saniyah King (6) combined for 11 of Howard’s 14 points. King’s lay-up at the 2:03 mark gave the Bison a 50-44 lead and forced a Tribe timeout.
The margin reached double-digits for the first time, 59-49, on a Howell corner 3-pointer with 6:14 left in the fourth.
W&M briefly closed the gap back to five with two-straight buckets. Frisby-Smith found Beckwith for the hoop and the harm. Sallman followed Beckwith’s 3-point play with her own bucket in the paint to narrow the margin to 59-54 with just over five minutes left.
The Bison answered with a 12-2 run to put the game away. Howell, who finished with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added nine rebounds, scored the final five points of the run and her lay-up extended the lead to its largest at 71-56. The Bison shot 58.3% (7-of-12) in the decisive fourth quarter.
Howard finished the game at 43.8% (28-of-64), including 7-of-14 from 3 (50%) from 3-point range. The Bison turned 22 Tribe turnovers into 21 points. Creek and King joined Howell in double figures with 11 each, while King added six assists.
Up Next
The Tribe heads to Shirley Duncan Classic at Longwood, Dec. 6-8. W&M faces McNeese State on Friday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m., before facing the host Lancers on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. The Green and Gold wraps up the event against South Carolina State on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and fans can tune in to the free audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network on TribeAthletics.com with Jack Angelucci on the call.
