WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Courtesy of William & Mary Athletics) —With plenty of alumni on hand, William & Mary women’s basketball won their Gold Rush game, 75-62, over Drexel at Kaplan Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Tribe shot a blistering 52% from the field to put up the most points Drexel has surrendered in conference play. The Dragons touted the best scoring defense in the CAA heading into Sunday, not allowing more than 65 points in their first eight league games.  
 
The Tribe wasted no time heating up, getting out a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes after a Cassidy Geddes mid-range jumper.
 
Minutes later Nylah Young converted a hook shot in the paint and the W&M lead swelled to 12-4 with 5:22 on the clock.
 
Young, coming off the bench for the third straight game after staring the first 17, was as good as she had been all season long for the Tribe, posting a game-high 27 on 11-for-19 shooting. It was her sixth game with 20 or more this season.
 
After only scoring once in the next four minutes, Rebekah Frisby-Smith put the Green and Gold offense back on track, knocking down her second trifecta of the frame to make it 17-8, which would be the score after one.
 
The second quarter was the only frame that showed flashes of the Dragons defensive prowess, as they held the Tribe to 29% from the floor. 
 
Alexa Mikeska pushed the Tribe lead to 23-10 with 6:52 to play in the half, before a 10-0 Drexel run made it a one possession game with 2:08 to go.
 
Bella Nascimento, Anahi-Lee Cauley and Young all converted two-point buckets down the stretch, with Young’s just barely beating the halftime buzzer, to give W&M a 29-23 lead at the break.
 
The Tribe returned to being an offensive juggernaut in the third, making nine of their first 10 shots from the field, with many of those buckets coming off turnovers.
 
When Young scored on a fast break feed from Cauley, the Tribe’s lead was the largest it would be all day at 18, 50-32, with 3:05 remaining in the quarter.
 
Drexel battled back a bit down the stretch of the third, still in reach at 52-40 with 10 minutes to play in regulation. 
 
W&M finished the third shooting 9-for-14 and 2-of-4 from deep. Young scored 11 of her 27 in the third alone.
 
Playing with a sense of urgency, the Dragons scored 22 points in the game’s final frame but did no more than trade buckets with W&M who once again went 9-for-14 from the field.
 
Drexel had cut the Tribe lead to nine with 6:35 to go, before a quick Geddes triple and Nascimento jumper made it a 63-49 game.
 
The Dragons wouldn’t get any close than 12 the rest of the way as the Tribe picked up a 75-62 win in front of a crowd of nearly 1,200.
 
The Tribe used a balanced scoring attack in the fourth to put the game away. Geddes was good for seven in the final frame, while Young and Nascimento each chipped in six.
 
Young added seven boards in the victory, tying for the team-high with Frisby-Smith who also scored nine points.
 
Geddes and Nascimento joined Young in double figures with 13 and 11 respectively, while Monet Dance led the team with five assists and no turnovers, good for a career high. 
 
The Tribe won the turnover battle for the 10th time in 11 games, forcing 20 Dragon turnovers and committing 17. W&M turned those 20 mistakes into 24 points while also outscoring Drexel in the paint 44-28.
 
Drexel shot 44% (24-of-54) from the floor compared to the Tribe’s 52% (30-of-58).
 
Up Next
The Tribe looks to get above .500 for the first time this season when they travel to Delaware on Friday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on FloHoops with an audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network.