WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Interstat) — In a tense Colonial Athletic Association clash defined by a dominant interior performance and a frantic final minute, William & Mary survived a furious fourth-quarter rally from Towson to secure a 75-70 victory in women’s basketball on Sunday at Kaplan Arena.

The Tribe, led by a commanding double-double from Jana Sallman, built a 19-point lead in the third quarter only to see the Tigers storm back behind a 31-point outburst from India Johnston in the final period. William & Mary ultimately held on by making critical free throws in the game’s closing seconds.

Sallman, a 6-foot-3 center from Cairo, Egypt, was the game’s most impactful player, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 30 minutes. She added four blocks, anchoring a William & Mary defense that controlled the paint, outscoring Towson 40-24 inside. Her presence was felt early and often, helping the Tribe establish a 43-26 halftime advantage after leading 17-13 through one quarter.

Towson struggled offensively for three quarters, shooting just 25 of 68 from the field overall. Johnston, a 5-foot-8 guard from Bear, Delaware, was held to 10 points through the first three frames. The Tigers’ offense came alive in the fourth, scoring 29 points as Johnston caught fire. She finished with 31 points, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

William & Mary guard Monet Dance of Roswell, Georgia, provided crucial support with 18 points and six assists, while Marley Long of Washington, D.C., added 11 points. Towson’s Thalia Shepard of Boston contributed 13 points.

The game’s pivotal sequence occurred in the final 10 seconds. With William & Mary leading 72-70, Towson’s Thalia Shepard was called for a foul on Dance with four seconds remaining. Dance missed the first free throw but calmly sank the second to push the lead to three. On the ensuing inbound play, William & Mary’s Kyah Smith fouled Johnston, sending her to the line with three seconds left.

Johnston made the first free throw to cut the deficit to 73-71. Attempting to miss the second intentionally, Johnston’s shot went in, trimming the lead to one. William & Mary then inbounded the ball to Alexa Mikeska, who was fouled with 0.4 seconds left. Mikeska, a guard from Carlsbad, California, sank both free throws to seal the 75-72 final. Towson added a last-second heave for the final 75-70 margin.

The most important part of the game was William & Mary’s ability to withstand Towson’s explosive fourth-quarter run by executing under pressure at the free-throw line. After the Tigers had erased nearly all of a large deficit, the Tribe made five of six free throws in the final 17 seconds to close out the win.

William & Mary finished the game shooting 27 of 56 from the field and 16 of 20 from the free-throw line. Towson was a perfect 16 for 16 from the line but managed only 4 of 19 from three-point range. The Tribe won despite committing 16 turnovers to Towson’s 13, leveraging a more efficient offensive rating of 98.0 on 76 possessions compared to Towson’s 90.2 on 78 possessions.

The victory improved William & Mary to 13-10 overall. Towson fell to 14-11. An announced crowd of 1,439 attended the game.

The result completed a regular-season sweep for the Tribe, who defeated Towson 52-51 just over a week earlier on Feb. 6. Both teams continue CAA play on Friday, Feb. 20, with William & Mary hosting Monmouth and Towson welcoming the College of Charleston.