#CAAHoops WBB Recap – March 4 – Madness Begins Early in Women’s Regular Season Finale
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (March 4, 2023) – A chaotic year came to a crazy conclusion on Saturday as we ended the day with a three-way tie for first place, a two-way tie for fourth and a tie for seventh. Towson and Northeastern won their regular season finales and got help from North Carolina A&T, who beat Drexel as the Tigers, Dragons and Huskies shared the conference’s regular season title. N.C. A&T tied for fourth with William & Mary after the Tribe won on Saturday. The regular season came to an end with Monmouth fending off a comeback attempt and Hampton completing a double-digit come-from-behind victory in the final two games on Saturday.
North Carolina A&T 59, Drexel 57 | Box Score
North Carolina A&T finished its regular season finale with a 7-0 run to knock off Drexel 59-57 and hand the Dragons just their second loss at home this season. After turning the ball over with eight seconds remaining, Maliea Bracone stole it right back and was fouled driving to the basket before knocking down the game-winning free throws with one-second remaining. It capped a 7-0 run as N.C. A&T, who led for just 4:20 in the contest, outscored Drexel 16-12 in the final frame. Overall, the game featured nine lead changes and five ties in a heavyweight conference bout. All eight Aggies to see the court scored in the game, with three reaching double figures. Laila Acox led the way with 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds. Chaniya Clark added 11 points and five rebounds, while Maleia Bracone contributed 10 points and six assists. For the Dragons, Keishana Washington had a game-high 23 points, and Kylie Lavelle tallied 19 points and seven rebounds.
Monmouth 72, Stony Brook 71 | Box Score
Monmouth held off a furious Stony Brook comeback attempt to defeat the Seawolves 72-71 in its regular season finale. Stony Brook ended the contest on a 19-4, but it was not enough as Bri Tinsley scored the game-winning layup with five seconds remaining. Stony Brook trailed her 37 minutes before tying the game at 68 with 1:06 left on the clock. Monmouth went up 70-68 on the next possession courtesy of a Lucy Thomas layup before Annie Warren hit a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to put the Seawolves on top for the first time in the contest. The Seawolves had a chance after the Tinsley layup, but their shot attempt came up short. Thomas led Monmouth with 14 points, adding seven rebounds, while Lovin Marsicano also tallied 14 points for the Hawks. Warren had 21 points for Stony Brook and was matched for the game-high by her teammate Daishai Almond.
Hampton 77, Delaware 72 | Box Score
Hampton overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to defeat Delaware 77-72 in its regular season finale. The Lady Pirates trailed by as many as 16 at the 5:39 mark in the third quarter but poured in 52 points after halftime to complete the comeback. Hampton climbed within nine at the end of the third before a 31-point fourth quarter to upend the Blue Hens. The Lady Pirates edged Delaware 31-17 in the final frame, limiting the Blue Hens to just three field goals and 33.3 percent shooting. Laren VanArsdale poured in a season-high 27 points to lead Hampton. She also had five rebounds and three steals in the effort. Five Blue Hens reached double figures, led by Klarke Sconiers with 14 points. Jewel Smalls recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Delaware.
Towson 70, Elon 63 | Box Score
Towson finished the regular season strong with a 70-63 victory over Elon. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Tigers outscored Elon 25-11 in the second to gain a 42-24 halftime lead, which the Phoenix could not overcome. Towson shot 58.6 percent (17-29) in the first half to build its advantage. Patricia Anumgba reset her career-high for the second straight game, recording a team-high 21 points for the Tigers. Quinzia Fulmore joined her in double figures, scoring 16 points and adding 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double this season. Lenaejha Evans paced the Phoenix with a game-high 24 points and tallied four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Northeastern 78. UNCW 69 | Box Score
Northeastern closed the regular season with its eighth straight victory, coming from behind to top UNCW 78-69. The Huskies erased a 13-point third-quarter deficit and outscored UNCW 47-20 in the second half to emerge victoriously. Northeastern outmatched the Seahawks 19-7 in the third quarter to turn an 11-point deficit into a one-point advantage at the end of the frame and carried the momentum into the fourth, outscoring UNCW 28-20 in the final period. Derin Erdogan and Gemima Motema combined for 38 points to lead Northeastern, with all 38 coming after halftime. Motema led the way with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting with six rebounds, while Erdogan added 18 points. Carrie Gross paced UNCW with a game-high 23 points, marking her eighth 20-point scoring effort this season.
William & Mary 69, Hofstra 50 | Box Score
William & Mary defeated Hofstra 69-50 in its regular season finale to tie a program record, recording its 12th CAA victory this season. The Tribe burst onto the scene by outscoring Hofstra 21-5 in the first quarter. After just two points in the second quarter, William & Mary responded out of the break to put the game away, outmatching the Pride 29-14 in the third quarter. Riley Casey and Sydney Wagner led the way with 18 points each on their senior day. Wagner added six assists, and Casey had four helpers, while Bre Bellamy also reached double figures with 10 points for the senior. Brandy Thomas scored a game-high 21 points for the Pride and grabbed nine rebounds. Zyhemia Swint recorded her second straight double-double with 15 points and 11 board for Hofstra.
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