FARMVILLE — Bella Nascimento led the way with 13 points on Saturday, but William & Mary women’s basketball fell in their second game of the Shirley Duncan Classic to hosts Longwood, 53-44.
W&M will conclude their weekend in Farmville with a matchup against South Carolina State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Tribe controlled the opening minutes, with four points from Kayla Beckwith and two apiece from Monet Dance and Nascimento, forcing a Lancer timeout at the 5:50 mark with the score 8-0.
Offensively the Tribe slowed down for the next couple minutes but used stifling defense to maintain their lead. Nascimento knocked down a 3-pointer right before the quarter buzzer, giving W&M a 13-4 lead after one.
The Tribe held Longwood to just 2-of-13 shooting in the period.
The game tightened up in the second with the Lancers using their own 8-0 run in the first five minutes of the quarter to make it a one-point game.
Jana Sallman scored four points to halt the run, but the Lancers stuck around, with the game heading to the half 19-17 W&M.
Similar to how it did in the win over McNeese on Friday, the Tribe came out of the halftime break hot offensively. Both Nascimento and Cassidy Geddes knocked down triples, with a pair of Anahi-Lee Cauley free throws in between to expand the lead to 29-20.
The hosting Lancers responded well however, embarking on a 17-2 run over the next six minutes and eventually grabbing their first lead of the game. When the dust settled on the third quarter, Longwood held a 39-34 lead.
The Lancer lead grew to nine, 44-35, with 8:27 to play in regulation. From there the Tribe chipped away, with Monet Dance hitting a 3-pointer with 1:46 remaining to make it a 47-44 deficit.
Longwood was able to answer with a layup however and put the game away with free throws down the stretch to win 53-44.
Both the Tribe and Lancers finished shooting 33% from the floor. W&M controlled the glass 42-37, with Cauley and Rolph leading the way at eight rebounds.
Up Next
The Tribe will conclude their three-game stint in Farmville by playing South Carolina State on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a free audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network.
