By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

More than two dozen of the program's alumni were in town to watch William & Mary play its Golden Game. And with minutes left, the game, which appeared safely in hand a couple of times, wasn't quite locked up.

Instead of letting a win slip away, however, the Tribe adopted one of head coach Erin Dickerson Davis' most-used phrases — "stop the bleeding" — and held on for a 73-68 win over Monmouth Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.

Thanks largely to late stick-backs by Bre Bellamy and Rebekah Frisby-Smith and two free throws from Riley Casey, W&M (12-10, 7-4 CAA) won for the sixth time in its last seven games. And to hit that mark with alums, their spouses, significant others, children, and parents in the stands? Plus, former coach Barbara Wetters, former assistant and W&M alum Rick Jones, and former Tribe bus driver and honorary alumnus Howard Smith?

Well, it was golden.

"The win is the cherry on top," Davis said. "We just wanted to make sure we played hard for (the alumni). That is what they deserve.

"Michael Jordan said, 'If you're going to spend three hours watching me, I owe you my very best.' That is what we've been saying all weekend. Our alumni flew in from across the country to be here with us, so we owe them our very best.' And we just hoped to come out on top."

Casey led W&M with 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. She knocked down a pair with 46 seconds remaining, just after the Hawks' Bri Tinsley cut the lead to 69-68 with her sixth and final 3-pointer.

Ariana Vanderhoop missed a 3-point try on the other end, and W&M's Alexa Mikeska rebounded. She went 1-of-2 from the line to make it a two-possession game. Tinsley then missed a contested shot from the arc, and Bellamy rebounded to seal the win.

In short, the Tribe stopped the bleeding.

"That's something we've really been working on as a team, to stay composed when they go on runs and it seems they have the momentum," Casey said. "What has helped has been the experience on our team. Me, Syd (Wagner), and Bre are all seniors, and that's something that has helped us stay composed.

"I think you've seen us grow as a team throughout the year. Earlier in the year, that might have shaken us more. But as we've progressed, we've gotten better at stopping the bleeding."

Wagner finished with 22 points, 20 coming in the final three quarters. And Bellamy continued her recent offensive outburst with 16 points, eight coming in the first quarter, on 7-of-11 shooting.

In her last two games, Bellamy has scored 34 points on 14-of-22 shooting. The Tribe is 7-0 this season when Bellamy scores in double figures.

"I definitely feel more confident shooting the ball," she said. "It helps to see it go in early on, but most of all it's the support I have. My teammates are always picking me up."

Bellamy had three rebounds, but the middle one was particularly well-timed. After Monmouth had tied the game with 3:43 remaining, Casey missed on a drive. Bellamy was there to clean it up, and W&M regained the lead.

Three possessions later, Frisby-Smith followed an initial W&M miss to put the Tribe ahead 69-63 with 1:43 remaining. Then Mikeska chased down Tinsley's missed 3-pointer with 29 seconds left.

W&M was outrebounded for the 20th time in 22 games this season, but it grabbed some key ones down the stretch.

"Rebounding is 10% strategy and 90% want," Davis said. "They wanted it. They knew it was the end of the game and that rebounding was the difference between winning and losing.

"They weren't going to lose because of that. Their heart came out at that point, and they secured those rebounds."

After a loss at Northeastern on New Year's Day, William & Mary was 0-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association with both losses coming by double digits. In the five weeks since, the Tribe is 7-2.

Going into Friday night's game at Elon, W&M is in fifth place — a game in the loss column out of a tie for third — in the standings.

"This team decided they wanted to be a good team -- that's honestly what I think happened," Davis said. "We said, 'We're better than this, and we're going to prove it.' They come into practice every day, and they compete. When we're not competing, they call their own huddles and get the team going.

"That is a testament to our captains and leadership. We've been on them all year about taking this team. This is your team. You have earned that right. Lead the team. Since then, we've been rolling."