WILLIAM & MARY FENDS OFF LATE N.C. A&T RUN TO ADVANCE WITH 61-58 VICTORY

WILLIAM & MARY FENDS OFF LATE N.C. A&T RUN TO ADVANCE WITH 61-58 VICTORY

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Ben Kane

 
HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY |  PRESS CONFERENCE – N.C. A&T | PRESS CONFERENCE – WILLIAM & MARY
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 12, 2026) – No. 8 William & Mary fended off a late usrge from No. 9 North Carolina A&T to earn a 61-58 victory in the second round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Thursday afternoon at CareFirst Arena.
 
The Tribe advances to the quarterfinals for the fourth-straight season and will face No. 1 Charleston at 12 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 13.
 
Alexa Mikeska dominated the stat sheet for the Tribe with 10 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Her teammate, Cassidy Geddes, paced the squad with 15 points. Crystal Hardy (19) and Paris Locke (11)  combined for 30 of the Aggies' 58 points.
 
After scoring only 18 points through the first 20 minutes, A&T came alive in the second half, nearly overcoming a 13-point deficit. The Aggies drew as close as one possession multiple times in the contest, but William & Mary never gave up the lead it took in the opening moments of the matchup.
 
William & Mary sprinted out to a 16-10 first-quarter advantage thanks largely to its off-ball pressure. Averaging less than nine steals a game this campaign, the Tribe poked the ball loose six times in the first frame for more than a third of their points.
 
Carrying an 11-point advantage (29-18) into the second half, the Aggies began to cut into the deficit. First came a Hardy 3-pointer, then three points from  Locke saw A&T head into the media timeout down 31-24.  Unfazed by the momentum swing, the Tribe fired off a 6-0 run out of the stoppage to post its largest lead of the game at 13 points (37-24). 
 
After a back-and-forth end to the third frame, the Aggies swung momentum in their favor. Trailing by 10 entering the final 10 minutes, A&T produced a 6-2 run, which included Chaniya Clark’s first points of the game. William & Mary pushed its advantage back up to eight with 4:21 on the clock before the Aggies once again made it interesting. 
 
Clark pulled A&T within one possession with a deep trey before Hardy pulled up from range with 14 seconds on the clock.
 
Leading by only two points, Monet Dance received the ball for the Tribe and ran out seven seconds before sinking a free throw to extend her team’s advantage to three to close out the victory.
 
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