WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's basketball team closes a stretch of three-games in five days as it concludes a brief two-game road swing at USC Upstate on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tipoff in the first-ever meeting between the Tribe and Spartans is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
Opening Tip
The William & Mary women's basketball team looks to make it three in a row as they close its two-game road swing as they head south to USC Upstate on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tonight's matchup closes a stretch of three games in five days, as the Tribe looks to start 3-1 for the second straight campaign. The Green and Gold meets USC Upstate for the first time in series history on Tuesday night in South Carolina.
Last Time Out
Three players scored in double figures, and the William & Mary women's basketball team held on through multiple comeback attempts as they topped Hampton Roads rival Old Dominion 69-58 on Sunday in Norfolk. Sophomore
Bianca Boggs tied a career-high with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. She added six boards, one assist, and two steals. Junior
Marlena Tremba finished with 12 points on four triples, while freshman
Victoria Reynolds improved her career-high for the third straight contest to 11 points. The Tribe forced a season-high 24 turnovers on 15 steals in the victory. Junior
Jenna Green led the way with four thefts, while senior Alex Masaquel, junior
Abby Rendle and
Jeanne Gaumont, as well as Boggs, each finished with two.
Scouting the Spartans
USC Upstate returns home as they host the Tribe at the Hodge Center on Tuesday night. The Spartans are trying to snap a two-game skid after falling to the Big Ten's Purdue and Illinois over the weekend. Upstate enters the tilt averaging 61.5 points per game. Raven Jefferson leads the tem with 12.3 points a game, while Riley Popplewell is second with 10.5 per contest. On the glass, the Spartans are bringing just down 32.2 rebounds a game. Individually, Popplewell leads the way with five boards a night, while Tamera Thorpe is just off of the pace with 4.0 rpg. Tammy George is in her 12th season in Spartanburg. The winningest coach in school history, she has posted a 158-177 record with the Spartans, while compiling a 201-198 in 14 years as a collegiate head coach.
Series History
The Green and Gold meets USC Upstate for the first time in series history on Tuesday night in South Carolina. It the second and last time this season that W&M meets a school for the first time. Previously, the Tribe dropped the first meeting to St. John's on opening day.
The Road Ahead
After a six-day hiatus for Thanksgiving, W&M opens its second, two-game homestand of the month as they welcome Delaware State to Kaplan Arena on Monday, Nov. 28. The Tribe will also host Dartmouth on Thursday, Dec. 1. Both games tipoff at 7 p.m.
Strong Start
For the third straight season and the seventh time in the last 10 years, the Tribe has started the season 2-1. Under coach Swanson the Tribe is 1-1 when looking to go 3-1. Last season, the Tribe set the program's best start when they opened the campaign 11-2.
Staying Ahead
After not leading in the entire game against St. John's in the opener, the Tribe has had the lead or been tied for all but 3:59 of the last 80 minutes. W&M led for 37:35 in the game at Old Dominion, after leading for 36:39 against the Spiders.
Breaking Bianca
Sophomore
Bianca Boggs is coming off of a strong weekend as helped the Tribe to a sweep of a pair of in-state rivals. Boggs totaled 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, in two steals. In the win over Richmond she scored in double-figures for the first time this season with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. She followed that up with a career-high 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals in the win at ODU. For the season she is second on the team with 11.7 points, while averaging 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
Bench Support
The Tribe has been getting some steady support from its reserve. Against its opponents the Tribe is level at 53-53 in bench points. Led by
Victoria Reynolds, who is averaging 8.7 points off of the bench. However, both senior
Kasey Curtis and junior
Jeanne Gaumont have provided steady play on the defensive end of the floor as well as chipping in with some offense.
Frustrating Offenses
For the first time this season, the Green and Gold forced an opponent into 20, or more turnovers when they turned ODU over 24 times on Sunday afternoon. W&M recorded 15 steals led by junior
Jenna Green with four.
