Williamsburg Sun

W&M Wraps Up Road Swing at George Mason on Monday

 William & Mary women's basketball plays its third straight road game on Monday evening, traveling to George Mason for an interstate, nonconference rivalry tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena. 
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
 
Stay up to date with all things Tribe women's hoops on social media! Fans can follow along with the team throughout the season by checking out the Green and Gold on Twitter (@WMTribeWBB), Facebook (WMTribeWBB), and Instagram (WMTribeWBB). 

- Former Colonial Athletic Association foes and founding members of the conference, W&M and George Mason meet for the third straight season with the Tribe riding a 3-game win streak that dates back to 2013. While the Patriots own a 50-25 advantage in the all-time series, last year's tilt saw Riley Casey single-handedly outscore them in OT, finishing with 20 points, en route to a 65-54 win at Kaplan Arena.

- W&M's 2-1 start is the best for the program since 2019-2020, when the Tribe opened the year 3-0. Through three games, the Tribe defense has stolen a share of the spotlight—in some cases quite literally, averaging nearly 10 steals each time the squad steps on the court. The Green and Gold also boast the fourth-best turnover margin (6.33) in the CAA, while the 64 total turnovers W&M has forced are among the best in the conference.

- The Tribe received votes in the most recent Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, released on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Four other CAA teams were listed in the rankings, including preseason favorite Drexel, which came in at No. 7.

- Graduate students Sydney Wagner and Riley Casey, both preseason All-CAA First Team honorees, have been a consistent backcourt presence for the Tribe all season. Almost identical, even. The tandem both average 35.3 minutes per game—among the top 10 in the CAA—and currently sit sixth and seventh in 3-pt field goals per game (Wagner: 2.7; Casey: 2.3).

- Wagner led W&M with 12 points in last week's 59-43 loss at Old Dominion. It was the ninth time in her previous ten games that she reached double digits, dating back to last season. In that stretch, she's averaged 16.9 points, while also going a near-perfect 33-of-36 from the line. And this season has seen Wagner notch multi-steal games in all three matchups.

- Coming off the bench in the last two games, sophomore forward Madison Magee has had consecutive career nights with her first-ever back-to-back double-digit performances. Her 11 points and 28 minutes at VCU (11/11/22) were personal bests and included her first 3-pointer, which gave W&M a lead 45 seconds into OT. Magee followed it up with a 10-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist showing at Old Dominion (11/15/22) last week.

- For the second straight game, senior forward Bre Bellamy led W&M on the boards, hauling in seven rebounds at Old Dominion (11/15/22). She has at least seven rebounds in all three contests this season, and her 7.7 average per game is among the top 15 in the CAA.

- After playing in just six games in 21-22 before suffering a season-ending injury, senior guard Chaniqwa Gilliam is averaging 19.6 minutes per game this year. In W&M's season-opening win over Navy (11/7/22), she packed the stat sheet with eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

- The Tribe rank among the CAA leaders in several 3-point shooting categories. W&M is second in 3-point field goals made (18), third in 3-point field goals attempted (61), and fourth in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.296). Of course, the Green and Gold have long built a reputation as a deep-scoring threat. Last season, the squad led the CAA in 3-point percentage (.323) and wrapped up the year third in conference in 3-pointers made per game (6.2).

- W&M boasts some serious depth on this season's roster, with every available player seeing action at least once in the first three games. Of those 12 student-athletes, nine have scored and six are averaging five or more points per game.

- The Tribe start a brand-new era under the leadership of head coach Erin Dickerson Davis this season. Davis was named the sixth Division I head coach in W&M history on Apr. 12, 2022. She takes the helm after serving as Associate Head Coach at Wake Forest University where she helped lead the Demon Deacons to a pair of postseason appearances, highlighted by the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 30 seasons.

- The Green and Gold will not leave the state of Virginia during the nonconference slate, playing six home games in Kaplan Arena and another five contests on the road against Commonwealth rivals (VCU, Old Dominion, George Mason, Longwood, Norfolk State). The Tribe's 11 nonconference foes averaged 15 wins a season ago, and seven boasted winning records.

- The Tribe was picked seventh in the CAA preseason standings by vote of the league coaches. Drexel was the preseason pick to win the league with 10 first-place votes.

Original source can be found here