William & Mary Wins First CAA Championship with 66-63 Comeback Victory Over Campbell
Ben Kane
Championship Central |
Bracket |
Highlights
Press Conference- William & Mary |
Press Conference - Campbell
Photo Gallery – In Game |
Photo Gallery - Celebrations
Washington D.C. (Mar. 16 2025) - No. 9 William and Mary overcame an early 14-0 deficit to defeat No.3 Campbell 66-63 and earn its first Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon at CareFirst Arena in Washington DC. The Tribe became the first ninth-seeded team in conference history to be crowned CAA champions.
The Tribe (15-18) will await the 8 p.m. selection show to find out its opponent as it competes in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.
William & Mary senior guard Bella Nascimento earned Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring a career-high 33 points and grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds to lead her team to victory. Rebekah Frisby-Smith went 4-for-7 from three and tallied 12 points and Cassidy Geddes added 10 points off the bench.
Following a poor shooting display in the first quarter (22.2%), the Tribe went on to shoot 51.8% from the field and went 45.7% from deep the rest of the way.
Campbell got double-digit performances from three players, with Courtney Dahlquist’s 19 points being a team high. Gianni Boone chipped in with 15 points, while Gemma Nunez had 13 points with six assists and five boards for the Camels.
Fueled by two 3-pointers from Nunez and Dahlquist, Campbell sprinted out to a 8-0 lead, forcing a timeout less than three minutes in to the matchup. After the stoppage, the run continued for the Camels as it poured in six more before Nascimento got the Tribe on the board with a pull-up jumper nearly halfway through the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter down 11, Monet Dance got the Tribe going quickly, knocking one down from close range. Exchanging points during the early moments of the second, Campbell stretched it back out to a 13-point advantage on a Nunez layup with five minutes left. It looked like the Camels would head into halftime with a double-digit lead, but Nascimento had other ideas as she drained a deep three to beat the buzzer and make it 34-26 at the break.
Campbell regained some momentum in the third quarter and extended its lead to 13, 51-38, on an Olivia Tucker three with 2:02 to go in the period. However, the Tribe closed out the third quarter on a strong-note, with a 6-0 run to pull it to within four, the smallest point differential since the start of the game. Nascimento got to the basket and completed an and-one bucket before finding a moving Frisby-Smith, who drained her third trey-ball of the quarter at the horn to make it 53-49.
In the fourth, Geddes provided five straight points, including a three with 6:45 to play that gave W&M its first lead, 56-55. The teams traded buckets down the stretch, with Campbell pulling within 64-63 on a Nunez layup with 39 seconds remaining. However, Nascimento delivered in the clutch once again, getting to the elbow and nailing a step back jumper to put the Tribe up three with 11 seconds on the clock. The Camels had a last chance to tie, but couldn’t connect on a trey.
Joining Nascimento on the all-tournament team were Geddes and Dance. Campbell was represented by Dahlquist and Nunez. Charleston’s Taryn Barbot rounded out the squad.
Most Outstanding Player: Bella Nascimento, William & Mary
CAA All-Tournament Team
Taryn Barbot, Charleston
Courtney Dahlquist, Campbell
Monet Dance, William & Mary
Cassidy Geddes, William & Mary
Gemma Nunez, Campbell
Bella Nascimento, William & Mary