By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

In a rollercoaster of a basketball game, William & Mary led by 10 points early in the third quarter, trailed by nine with four minutes left in regulation, and came back to win in overtime.

Sydney Wagner and Riley Casey combined for all 16 of the Tribe's overtime points for an 80-74 road win Sunday at Charleston. Wagner gave W&M (9-9, 4-3 CAA) the lead for good 31 seconds into the OT, and Casey hit a pair of dagger 3-pointers to seal it.

It was the Tribe's third consecutive win and its fourth in five games. But it didn't come without some tense moments.

"I don't think we had shown the ability to bounce back like that before," W&M coach Erin Dickerson Davis said. "This was a huge step in our growth. Just seeing them rally together — the bench was into it the entire game.

"As coaches, we kept saying in the huddle, 'Stay composed. Everybody is good, and we have plenty of time.' They took that and finished out the game. Just a super, gutsy win."

After combining for 50 points in a home win over Charleston earlier this month, Casey and Wagner found their offensive footing when it mattered most this time around—in OT. The duo went 4-of-6 in the extra frame and 2-of-4 from behind the 3-point arc.

It was Wagner who scored the Tribe's first four points in the OT. It was Casey who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, including the closer with 46 seconds remaining. And together, they went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the extra session.

Casey finished with 26 points, and Wagner added 20.

"Come overtime, they just did some veteran things," Davis said. "They were seniors, and they led the troops."

Rebekah Frisby-Smith, who Davis calls "our X-factor," was just as instrumental. Six of her 12 points came in the final 2:09 of regulation. She finished with nine rebounds, four assists, and a crucial drawn charge in the overtime.

"She has the heart and soul and passion this team thrives on," Davis said. "It has to be exhausting for her because she's playing a lot of minutes, and she's doing everything — offensively, defensively, rebounding. She's literally got her hand in every single thing."

Bellamy finished with 10 points and five boards before fouling out with 4:15 left in regulation.

"She stayed engaged on the bench," Davis said. "She tried to will the team to a win even though she couldn't be out there with them."

W&M took a 40-30 lead on a Frisby-Smith 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the third quarter, but Charleston (8-9, 3-4) answered with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes. The Cougars' momentum carried over to the fourth quarter, and their lead was 62-53 with 4:15 remaining.

With two-and-a-half minutes left, Charleston led 64-58, but the Tribe closed with a 6-0 run. Frisby-Smith scored all six of those points, including a game-tying free throw with 30.1 seconds left.

The Cougars took a 65-64 lead 11 seconds into the overtime, but Wagner gave her team the lead for good on a drive. After Frisby-Smith drew a charge, Wagner hit a jumper from the free throw line to put W&M up 68-65 with 3:49 left.

Frisby-Smith then came up with a steal, and Casey knocked down a 3-pointer to extend W&M's advantage to 71-65 with 2:46 left.

Charleston made a pair of free throws on consecutive possessions to make it 71-69 with 1:13 remaining. But Casey drained a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and push the lead back to five.

The Cougars got a pair of free throws from Jazmyn Stone to make it a one-possession game, but Casey and Wagner each went 2-of-2 on back-to-back trips to put it away.

It was the Tribe's first conference road win of the season.

"The one thing we kept saying was, 'We play well, but only at home,'" Davis said. "When we had adversity on the road, we didn't know how to stop it.

"Today was a huge step in the right direction. To come out and not only beat them but to beat them in an overtime situation, I just hope our girls can take that and see how much we've grown."

Next for the Tribe is a home game Friday night against UNCW.