WASHINGTON — William & Mary needed furious fourth-quarter rallies to beat Hofstra twice in the regular season. The Tribe tried to do it again Thursday in the quarterfinals of the CAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, but came up just short in a 57-53 loss.
“Kudos to Hofstra. They played a good game,” W&M coach Erin Dickerson Davis said.
After trailing the entire game, at one point by 16, the No. 5 seed Tribe (15-14) pulled ahead 53-52 on a 3-pointer from freshman Cassidy Geddes with 3:05 left. The No.13 Pride (11-20) regained the lead 30 seconds later and extended it to 56-53 on a pair of free throws with 1:02 left. After each team committed turnovers, the Tribe had the ball with 19 seconds left, trailing 56-53.
“We were trying to get a 3 for Cassidy,” Davis said.
Instead, Nylah Young, who was 2 for 11 on 3-pointers this season coming into the game, took a 3 with 8 seconds left, and it was partially blocked by Zyheima Swint, her fourth of the game.
“I think we just rushed. I don’t think we waited for screens. I don’t think we set good screens,” Davis said. “They forced us out of it.”
Hofstra, which got knocked out of the tournament by the Tribe last season, iced the game with a free throw by Brooke Anya, a transfer from Longwood, with four seconds left.
Young, a graduate transfer from Hampton University and a first-team all-CAA selection, finished her standout career with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Geddes, who made the league’s all-rookie team, had 14 points.
“Nylah Young, she’s a phenomenal player,” said Hofstra coach Danielle Santos Atkinson.
For the Pride, who knocked off a team it was 0-2 against in the regular season for the second consecutive day, received double-doubles from Anya (11 points and 11 rebounds) and Swint (11 and 14). Ally Knights and Sorella Ineza added 10 points each.
The Tribe were forced to play catchup because of a poor first quarter, the only quarter they were outscored.
The Pride, which ousted No.12 Hampton 72-55 in Wednesday’s opening round at the Entertainment and Sports Arena on the strength of a hot-shooting second half, came out on fire against the Tribe. They led 14-4 just 4:16 into the game and 20-10 after the first quarter. The Pride sank their first eight field goals, including two 3-pointers.
“I feel like we were a little panicked at times,” Davis said. “I think that we were trying to get our wind, whereas Hofstra already had some momentum from playing on Day 1. They just came out with a great effort.”
The Tribe fell behind 28-12, but cut the deficit to 33-25 at the half, finishing on a 7-0 run. Young had 16 points and Geddes five as just four W&M players scored in the opening 20 minutes.
In the third quarter, the Tribe came out strong, tying the game at 37 on a basket by Anahi-Lee Cauley with 3:59 left, but the Pride closed on a 4-0 run for a 41-37 lead. The final quarter was close, with the lead never more than four in the final 7:21.
“Hofstra was playing like they didn’t want to go home,” Davis said. “They played like that yesterday. They played like that today.”
The Tribe were hampered by foul trouble, with Rebekah Frisby-Smith limited to 13:47 of playing time, Culley 20:40 and Kayla Beckwith 9:34, each below their season averages.
The Tribe, chosen ninth in the preseason poll, had 12 wins in the CAA for the second consecutive season.
“We did better than I think a lot of people thought,” Davis said.
