AUSTIN, Texas -- Bella Nascimento scored 24 points as William & Mary edged High Point 69-63 on Thursday night for a victory in the Tribe's first NCAA tournament appearance in either women's or men's basketball.
The win in the First Four matchup of 16-seeds sends William & Mary (16-18) into a game with No. 1 seed Texas on Saturday.
William & Mary was the last original Division I basketball member from 1938-39 to have never made either NCAA tournament. The Tribe qualified by winning the Coastal Athletic Association tournament, having to win four games in four days as the No. 9 seed after losing seven of their last eight regular-season games.
Natalie Fox had 12 points and 12 rebounds, including a couple of big offensive rebounds late for the Tribe. Monet Dance scored 15 points and Cassidy Geddes 12. Kayla Rolph had 10 rebounds.
Lauren Scott scored 19 points, Aaliyah Collins 18 and Jaleesa Lawrence 15 for the Panthers (21-12), the Big South regular-season and tournament champions.
Nascimento led the offense, but in the end it came down to Fox scoring on a couple of offensive rebounds, Rolph scoring similarly and Dance making two free throws to cap an 8-2 run for a 65-58 lead with 27.9 seconds to go. High Point got within four with 15.2 remaining, but two more free throws by Dance wrapped up the win.
There were nine lead changes and six ties with neither team holding a double-digit lead.
William & Mary outrebounded High Point 45-31, including 15-9 on the offensive boards for a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Panthers had 15 steals, turning 16 Tribe turnovers into 18 points.
