For the first time in school history, William & Mary will play in the NCAA Tournament, after its women’s basketball team defeated Campbell 66-63 on Sunday to win the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament title.
The win marks a historic milestone for the Williamsburg, Virginia-based university, which was founded in 1693 and had never sent a men’s or women’s team to the NCAA Tournament. The women’s program is in its 105th season and had previously reached the CAA Tournament final only once, falling to Old Dominion in 1993.
William & Mary entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed, making them the lowest-seeded team to win the CAA title. The Tribe had lost seven of their last eight games before winning four straight to capture the championship.
“This is a surreal moment to everybody in this gym right now,” said Bella Nascimento, who scored 33 points in the title game, as reported by the Associated Press. “It’s the first time we made history in a long time.”
Nascimento led a team that embraced the underdog role, rallying through the tournament to secure its spot in the NCAA’s 68-team field with a 15-18 overall record.
Head coach Erin Dickerson Davis credited the team’s resilience and belief in one another.
“We talked about belief since we got here,” Davis said during the postgame celebration. “You have to believe. Nobody else can believe for you. Everybody in the circle has to believe.”
William & Mary joins five other programs — Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon and UC San Diego — making their first appearance in the women’s NCAA Tournament this year.
The Tribe’s run is part of a broader trend in college basketball, as four men’s teams — High Point, Omaha, SIU Edwardsville and UC San Diego — are also making their NCAA tournament debuts.
Now, William & Mary turns its attention to Selection Sunday, where it will learn its seeding and first-round opponent in what will be a historic appearance in March Madness.
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