WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's basketball team returns to the court for the first time in 12 days when they welcome Norfolk State to Kaplan Arena on Thursday, Dec. 17. Tipoff for the in-state rivalry is set for 7 p.m.
 

Game Day Information - Game 9 - Norfolk State
When	Thursday, Dec. 17 - 7:00 p.m.
Where	Williamsburg, Va.
Venue	Kaplan Arena at William & Mary Hall
How to Follow	Live Stats | Live Video
Social Media	Tribe Women's Basketball Twitter Tribe Athletics Facebook | Tribe Athletics Twitter Tribe Game Day Twitter | #RisingTribe
Stats	William & Mary | Norfolk State | CAA
Game Notes	William & Mary | Norfolk State | CAA
Highlights	at Clemson | vs. Wofford
Tickets	TribeAthletics.com | Tickets

OPENING TIP
The William & Mary women's basketball team returns to the court for the first time in 12-days as they welcome in-state rival Norfolk State to Kaplan Arena for a game on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. W&M enters tonight's game with a 7-1 record, which is tied for the best start in the school's Division I history. The Tribe had an the same 7-1 record in the 1998-99 campaign. The Tribe meets Norfolk State for the 20th time in series history on Thursday night. It will be the first meeting since Nov. 28, 2012. W&M leads the all-time series 12-7, including a 3-point win in the last meeting between the two schools.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Marlena Tremba registered her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 assists as the William & Mary women's basketball team downed Clemson 58-41 on the road December 5. Tremba hit three triples, added three rebounds, and four steals to go along with her game-high 14 points and career-high 10 assists. Sophomore Abby Rendle also nearly missed a double-double with 13 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks, while freshman Ali Engelhardt scored a career-high 10 points had a rebound in 11 minutes. W&M scored seven of the final 12 points of the quarter to cut the lead to 28-18 at the end of the first quarter, but following the big Clemson run, the rest of the game was all W&M. The Tribe held Clemson to just 13 points for the remainder of the contest, including just six points in the second half. It was the first time March 1, 2015 that the Tribe held an opponent under 50 points in game.
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Norfolk State enters Thursday's night game looking for its first win of the season as they make the short trip to Williamsburg. The Spartans are coming off of a 61-57 setback at the hands of UNCW on Sunday. NSU is averaging 57.3 points a contest through its first seven games. Koryn Lawrence is leading the offensive charge with 11.4 points per game. Siobhan Beslow is just off of the pace averaging 10.6 points per game, while Kayla Roberts is just out of the double-figure clip, with 9.9 points a game. On the glass, the Spartans are grabbing 37.0 rebounds a game. Beslow is just off a double-double pace by averaging 9.3 rebounds a game. Roberts is second on the team averaging 8.4 rebounds a game. Head Coach Debra Clark is in her seventh season on the sidelines at Norfolk State. She has a 58-120 during her tenure with the Spartans. In 21-years of coaching she has posted 269 victories. 
 
SERIES HISTORY   
The Tribe meets Norfolk State for the 20th time in series history on Thursday night. It will be the first meeting since Nov. 28, 2012. W&M leads the all-time series 12-7, including a 3-point win in the last meeting between the two schools. Emily Correal led the Tribe in that victory with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jaclyn McKenna (17 points), Taysha Pye (12 points), and Kathrine DeHenzel (11 points) were all in double-figures for the Tribe. 
 
THE ROAD AHEAD
W&M continues a stretch against three straight teams from the Commonwealth to conclude the non-conference schedule. The Green and Gold travels to VCU on Dec. 21, before returning home to face Old Dominion on Dec. 29. The Tribe will open CAA play with a home game versus two-time defending champion James Madison on Sunday, Jan. 3. Tip time for that game is set for 2 p.m.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT DIMES
Junior Marlena Tremba recorded 10 assists in the Tribe's win at Clemson on Dec. 5. It was the most assists in a game since Katherine DeHenzel had 10 assists in a game at George Mason on Jan. 19, 2012. Tremba's 10 assist tie her for sixth in W&M single-game history.
 
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
Once again the William & Mary schedule is full of natural rivals including six-games against schools from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Tribe plays Richmond (Nov. 20), Norfolk State (Dec. 17), VCU (Dec. 21), Old Dominion (Dec. 29), and James Madison (Jan. 3 & Feb. 19). The Tribe is currently 0-1 against teams from Virginia.

STRONG START
For just the seventh time in the Division I history of the program, and the 22nd time in school history the Tribe women's basketball program opened a season with back-to-back wins. The strong start continued as the Tribe is 7-1 for the first time since 1998-99, when the Tribe started 7-1, which ties the best start in school history. With a victory on Thursday, the Tribe would be 8-1, which would equal the best start in school history. W&M also went 8-1 in the 1925-26 season. That year the team finished with a 9-1 record.
 
NON-CONFERENCE WINS
With three regular season non-conference games remaining, the Tribe's seven regular season non-conference this season wins are already tied for the third most since the team became a Division I program in 1982-83. The school record for regular season non-conference wins is eight (2011-12 & 1989-90). W&M has won seven non-conference games on eight different occasions, while the Tribe has picked up five wins in four different seasons. 
 
BATTLE OF BOARDS
W&M has won the battle of the boards in last three games against Delaware State, Wofford, and Clemson. It is the first time under Coach Ed Swanson that the Green and Gold has won the rebounding battle in three straight contests, and it marks the first time since Feb. 28-March 3, 2010 that the team has accomplished that feat. The Tribe has posted a 3-1 record when they have won the battle of the glass. For the year, the Green and Gold has a narrow 37.1-35.0 advantage out-rebounding opponents.

ROAD WARRIORS
Three of the Green and Gold's first four games this season were on the road, which marks the third consecutive season that the Tribe has had three of its first four contests away from Williamsburg. The Tribe found success last season away from home, as well, winning seven games. Prior to the 2014-15 season, W&M had won just seven true road games in the previous six years combined. So far, W&M has been rolling off of last year's momentum on the road, as the Tribe owns a 4-1 record away from Kaplan Arena. W&M's four road wins are the second-most in terms of number in the country, and ranked tied for fifth.
 
FIVE FOR FIGHTING
W&M is currently in the midst of its first five-game winning streak since the 2008-09 season. The longest winning streak in school history is 21-games, which happened over a handful of seasons from 1926-30. In terms of single-season win streaks the longest is eight games, which took place twice from Feb. 12-March 6, 1981. W&M has also had three, seven-game winning streaks in school history.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Junior Alexandra Masaquel posted back-to-back double-doubles during the Tribe's wins at Delaware State and against Wofford. Against Wofford she tied a career-high with 18 points, while grabbing 10 boards. Against Delaware State, she scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds. The Honolulu, Hawaii native has recorded five career double-doubles. Classmate Marlena Tremba recorded her first career double-double in the victory at Clemson. She scored a game-high 14 points to go along with a career-high 10 assists.
 
GREEN THUMB
Sophomore Jenna Green has helped the Tribe offense grow of late with her assist numbers. The sophomore has already had two games this season with eight assists, which tied a career-high. Green has had more than three assists in all but one game this season, and has 21 career games with three, or more, dimes. 
 
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
The first half has been very kind to the Tribe in the early stages of this season. W&M has held the lead in the first half in all eight contests. The Tribe is outscoring its opponents 292-222 in the first half. A large part of the first half success, is the Tribe's second quarter performance, where they are outscoring opponents 154-83. The Green and Gold is yet to be outscored in the second quarter as well.
 
STEALING THE SHOW
After struggling to force steals in its first three games this season, W&M has recorded 62 steals in its last five contests, including at least 10 steals in the last three games. For the season, the Tribe is averaging 10.3 steals a game, which ranks first in the CAA. Junior Marlena Tremba and sophomore Abby Rendle are tied for the team's lead in steals with 2.0 thefts a game. Freshman Bianca Boggs is just off of the pace, averaging 1.9 steals a game.