LONG BEACH, Calif. — For the second consecutive game Bella Nascimento scored 21 points as William & Mary women’s basketball dropped a nip-and-tuck battle to Long Beach State, 67-65, on Saturday afternoon at the Walter Pyramid.
W&M (0-2, 0-0 CAA) led the contest for over 30 minutes, but the last four points belonged to LBSU, (1-0, 0-0 Big West) including the game-winning layup with 18 seconds left.
The Tribe started hot out of the gates following their cross-country trip. Back-to-back buckets from Nascimento sprung the Green and Gold out to an 11-7 lead with 4:26 to go in the first.
W&M’s lead would expand to 10, their largest of the day, after a Cassidy Geddes layup with 2:45 on the clock to make it 18-8. The first quarter would end with the Tribe up 21-13.
The Beach would cut it to a one-point deficit, 28-27, halfway through the second quarter and eventually take a 29-28 lead with 3:48 to go in the half.
Kayla Rolph would put the Tribe back in front after converting a 3-point-play before six straight points from Anahi-Lee Cauley made it 37-31 W&M. They would head to the half with a 37-34 lead.
Cauley had all 10 of her points on the afternoon in the first half.
Geddes knocked down a triple to give W&M the lead by three with 7:31 to go in the third. The two teams would trade buckets for the remainder of the frame until a Natalie Fox layup and a Geddes free throw would give the visitors a 52-48 lead after three.
Fox posted a double-double, 10 points and 12 rebounds, in just her second collegiate game before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
The Beach immediately tied the game up to start the fourth before back-to-back jumpers from Nascimento gave the Tribe a 56-52 lead with 7:28 to play.
Seven straight points from LBSU put the hosts in front by three, their biggest lead of the day, before a Fox lay-in tied things at 59 with 4:07 left.
Nascimento would knock down a three a minute later to give the Tribe the lead before The Beach would go back in front 63-62.
Monet Dance drained a triple to put W&M ahead again with 1:47 on the clock before LBSU responded with buckets at the 1:30 and 0:18 marks to lead 67-65.
Nascimento’s 3-point attempt with six seconds missed but the Tribe would get one more crack at the win. After a Beach offensive foul with 3.2 remaining, Nascimento launched from just inside half court, missing to the right to end the game.
The Tribe forced 23 Beach turnovers on the day while shooting 32.5% from the floor and 7-for-30 from deep. LBSU posted 40% from the floor and 5-of-16 from behind the arc. W&M snagged 20 offensive rebounds, their most since January of 2020.
Nascimento added six rebounds with her 21 points, while Dance led the Tribe with five assists.
Up Next
W&M wraps up their California trip with a visit to UC Irvine on Monday. The game is set for 2 p.m. PT/5p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+. There will be an audio broadcast via the Tribe Sports Network.
