WASHINGTON (AP) — Bella Nascimento scored 33 points, including a clutch jumper with 11 seconds left, lifting ninth-seeded William & Mary to a shocking 66-63 victory over No. 3-seed Campbell to win the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament on Sunday.
The Tribe (15-18) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and will be the first sub-.500 team since Incarnate Word in 2022.
William & Mary surrendered the first 14 points of the game and trailed 20-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Tribe outscored Campbell (21-12) in each of the last three quarters.
The rally was complete when Cassidy Geddes followed a layup with a 3-pointer to give the Tribe their first lead at 56-55 with 6:45 left.
The win was in hand when Nascimento popped an 18-foot jumper from the free-throw circle.
Campbell's Olivia Tucker missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left and the Lady Camels, with four fouls to give, could not foul enough times to send the Tribe to the line before time expired.
Nascimento's career high came on 14-for-26 shooting and the 5-foot-8 guard had a game-high-tying 11 rebounds. Rebekah Frisby-Smith added 12 points and Geddes had 10 off the bench.
Courtney Dahlquist scored 19 points, Gianni Boone 15 and Gemma Nunez 13 for Campbell.
Dahlquist, Boone and Nunez combined for the first 14 points of the game, and they had 30 points in the first half, leading Campbell to a 34-26 halftime lead.
Dahlquist scored seven points in the first four minutes of the third quarter, helping the Lady Camels extend their eight-point lead to 43-30. Later in the quarter, Nascimento scored eight points in 1:15 and Frisby-Smith buried a 3-pointer to make it 53-49 heading to the final period.
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