By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
WILLIAMSBURG — In the next-to-last game of the regular season, William & Mary set a record for wins and secured its best-ever seed for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. It didn't come easy.
The Tribe held off an intense charge in final minutes and escaped with a 66-62 win over Towson Thursday night at Kaplan Arena. W&M (21-7, 12-5 CAA) clinched the No. 3 seed with its eighth win in nine games.
What was a 15-point game less than two minutes into the fourth quarter became a 64-62 lead with 49.2 seconds left. But the Tigers (14-14, 9-8) turned the ball over on their final three possessions, and Victoria Reynolds' two free throws with 2.4 seconds left finally sealed it.
"Not pretty," W&M coach Ed Swanson said. "But I was really excited the way our defense played. They're the third-leading offensive team in the league, and we held them to 25 points in the first half.
"We got caught up and started turning the ball over late, but it was a real gutty effort. We made plays when we needed to."
Reynolds and Eva Hodgson combined for 46 of the Tribe's 66 points. Hodgson, who had 27 on 9-of-19 shooting, played all 40 minutes for the third time this season.
With 6:16 remaining, the Tribe looked to be cruising to the finish line with a 60-47 lead. But Towson scored on seven of its next 11 possessions while forcing five turnovers on the other end. When Q. Murray got inside for a layup, W&M's lead had been cut to two with 49.2 seconds left.
Then came a weird sequence. Facing a press, Nyla Pollard's pass was intercepted by the Tigers' Kionna Jeter, who had a clear path to the basket. But as Jeter went in for an uncontested layup, she lost control of the ball and it went out of bounds with 41.4 seconds remaining.
Hodgson then drove to the basket, but the ball was slapped away and ruled out of bounds off her. After a timeout, Jeter had the ball out top and tried a pass to Nukiya Mayo in the post. But her pass sailed out of bounds with 4.8 seconds left.
Reynolds, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, made a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining. That finally sealed a game that was rapidly slipping away.
"I knew my teammates believed in me," Reynolds said, "so I just had to take my time and do like I do in practice."
It wasn't the best endgame for the Tribe, which committed 23 turnovers, but it got the win.
"A good team like Towson, they get desperate and their backs are against the wall," Swanson said. "They really came flying after us. We had some untimely turnovers. We'd be better off if we threw the ball in the stands because then we could get back.
"We're pretty good when we're playing five-on-five defense. When we're playing one-on-two and letting them get downhill, letting them get picks and go the other way, obviously they're tough to guard."
Of Towson's 22 points turnovers, 10 came in the fourth quarter.
"I think we just got too relaxed," Hodgson said. "That's happened in the past as well. Our passes start to lose purpose almost. We just have to reel it back in and refocus on making better passes and be smarter with the ball overall."
W&M's final game of the regular season will be Saturday against James Madison at Kaplan. Seedings-wise, the game means more to the Dukes, who are tied with Drexel for first place. Win or lose, the No. 3 Tribe will play a 7:30 quarterfinal next Thursday against the 6 seed in Elon, N.C.
"They're a first-place team again," Swanson said. "It gives us another chance to challenge ourselves and see where we're at."
As for all the milestone moments this season has produced, none of it is being savored at this point.
"It's exciting, but we have another game on Saturday," Hodgson said. "Although all of it is really cool to be a part of, to be making history, we have a lot more we want to accomplish."
