TOUGAS’ CAREER-DAY FROM DISTANCE EARNS CHARLESTON 58-55 WIN OVER WILLIAM & MARY

TOUGAS’ CAREER-DAY FROM DISTANCE EARNS CHARLESTON 58-55 WIN OVER WILLIAM & MARY

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Ben Kane

HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | PRESS CONFERENCE – CHARLESTON | PRESS CONFERENCE – WILLIAM & MARY
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2026) – Sophia Tougas’ career day from distance helped earn No. 1 Charleston a 58-55 victory over No. 8 William & Mary in the quarterfinals of the Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon.

The Cougars (25-5) advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2022, and will face the winner of No. 4 Stony Brook and No. 5 Monmouth on Saturday  at 2 p.m. William & Mary, the defending CAA champion, saw its season come to a close with a 17-14 record.

Tougas drilled a personal-best six 3-pointers, leading Charleston with 18 points. CAA Player of the Year Taryn Barbot was dominant in all aspects of the game, scoring 17 points alongside four rebounds and five assists. Cassidy Geddes gave the Tribe a team-high 15 points in the matchup and backcourt mate Monet Dance added 12.
Charleston came out with emphasis, carrying an 11-2 advantage into the first media timeout. Four players found the scoresheet, including Barbot, who had five points to her name in the opening four and a half minutes.

William & Mary immediately fired off a 7-0 run across the next few minutes, forcing Robin Harmony into an early timeout. Dance’s midrange bank shot leveled the game at 13 with 1:51 left in the first quarter, allowing both teams to settle into the contest. 

After a handful of lead changes across the next two quarters, the Cougars slowly began to pull ahead in the fourth period. Already with four treys to her name, Tougas kept up her hot scoring from distance and pulled her team ahead 55-52 with 6:42 to play. Three minutes later, the redshirt-senior guard produced the same scoring effort, but this time to give her team a five-point advantage, its largest lead since the first quarter. 

Natalie Fox brought the Tribe as close as three (58-55) with 1:31 on the clock, but Charleston held its opponent scoreless for the remainder of the game to seal the win.
 
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