PHILADELPHIA — Three free throws with half a second on the clock were enough for Drexel to sneak past William & Mary women’s basketball in overtime Friday night, 59-58, in Philadelphia.
Bella Nascimento posted her third consecutive game with 20-plus points, scoring 23 to lead the Tribe.
After falling behind 6-2 in the early going, a Cassidy Geddes layup and a converted and-one by Nascimento gave W&M (10-12, 7-4 CAA) the lead.
From there both teams traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter before a Rebekah Frisby-Smith triple with 49 seconds to go would give the Tribe a 14-10 lead after one.
W&M’s lead would grow to 18-11 early in the second frame after a Geddes layup at the 7:27 mark. Drexel (13-9, 9-3 CAA) would battle back however, pulling within two less than two minutes later.
Frisby-Smith would again play a role in keeping the Tribe in front, knocking down a pair of shots from behind the arc in the final 2:33 of the half.
When the halftime buzzer sounded W&M would hold a 28-24 lead.
The first six points of the second half belonged to the Green and Gold, with all six coming via Nascimento. The Tribe’s 34-28 lead with 7:07 on the clock would be the largest of the evening for either side.
Again, the Dragons had an answer, cutting it to a one-possession game in less than two minutes. The W&M lead would remain between three and five until a Drexel 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in the frame would tie it at 38-all.
The Dragons would find themselves in front for the first time since the opening quarter by the time the third came to an end, 41-40.
The fourth was a defensive battle, with only 15 total points between the two teams.
After Drexel took a four-point lead, Jana Sallman and Nascimento would each score buckets to tie it 44-44 with 6:21 in regulation.
Nascimento would hit another jumper at the 4:00 mark to tie it at 46 before a Sallman layup gave W&M a 48-46 lead.
The Dragons would knot things again with 1:37 remaining. From there neither team would score, sending W&M to overtime for the second time in as many games, 48-48.
Drexel quickly snagged a 51-48 lead in the extra session before another Sallman layup and two Nascimento jumpers gave the lead back to the visitors, 54-53, with 2:16 on the clock.
Anahi-Lee Cauley would convert in the paint moments later before a Dragon 3-pointer tied it at 56-56 with 58 seconds left.
Nascimento added another clutch pull-up jump shot 18 seconds later, giving the lead back to the Tribe.
The score would remain the same until a foul with a half second left on Drexel’s would-be game winning 3-pointer attempt gave the Dragons three free throws.
Chloe Hodges would knock down all three tries from the stripe as Drexel survived for a 59-58 win.
Sallman would join Nascimento in double figures with 11 points. Nascimento hit all three of her field goal attempts in the overtime period.
Geddes’ six rebounds led the Tribe, who was barely edged on the glass, 38-37. Kayla Rolph’s four assists were good for the team high. Geddes also added three blocked shots.
The matchup marked the fourth time in the last 12 meetings the Tribe and the Dragons needed overtime to decide things.
Up Next
The Tribe will head to Delaware on Sunday, with tip set for 2 p.m. on FloCollege and a free audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network.
