WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's basketball team closes one of its season-long three-game homestands and non-conference play as they welcome East Carolina to Kaplan Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Tipoff between the two former CAA rivals is set for 7 p.m.
Opening Tip
The William & Mary women's basketball team looks to continue its best start in school history and move its winning streak to 10 games as they host East Carolina on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Wednesday's game concludes a tied for season-long three game homestand and is the final non-conference game of the season. The Green and Gold meets former Colonial Athletic Association rival East Carolina for the 45th time in series history.
Last Time Out
Three players scored in double-figures and the William & Mary women's basketball team survived a third quarter Saint Francis (Pa.) rally en route to its ninth straight victory, 73-60, last Tuesday night in Kaplan Arena. Senior
Marlena Tremba scored a team-high 18 points and added two rebounds, four assists, playing just under 40 minutes. Junior
Abby Rendle turned her best performance of the season with her first double-double of the year and the fifth of her career. She finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, adding three helpers, two steals and six blocks. Senior
Alexandra Masaquel rounded out the double-figure scorers as she finished with her second straight double-double adding 15 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals. It was the first time a pair of Tribe players recorded double-doubles in the same game since Jan. 3, 2016.
Scouting the Pirates
East Carolina enters Wednesday's contest riding a three-game winning streak, but are also returning to action for the first time in eight days. The Pirates picked up a 62-55 home win over Southern on Dec. 20 and enter the contest with an 9-3 record. ECU is averaging just under 70 points a night at 69.4 per contest. Kristen Gaffney leads the team with 15.5 points per game. Bre McDonald is also averaging double-figures with 13.0 points per night, while Khadidja Toure is just off of the pace with 9.0 points per game. On the glass, the Pirates collect 40.7 rebounds a game. McDonald is the team's leading rebounder with 7.2 per game. Gaffney is just off that pace with 6.6 per night. Heather Macy is in her seventh season at East Carolina and 12th as a head coach. She has posted a 116-76 record in Greensville and a 231-125 record overall.
Series History
The Green and Gold meets former CAA rival East Carolina for the 45th time in series history. The Pirates lead the all-time series 33-11, but the two teams have not met since Nov. 15, 2013. That night ECU picked up a 69-57 victory in the second game of Coach Swanson's and this senior class' W&M career. Then-senior Kaitlyn Mathieu and current senior
Marlena Tremba turned in 13 points apiece to pace the Tribe. Senior
Latrice Hunter added six points for W&M as well.
The Road Ahead
Tonight marks the final game of 2016 and W&M will start CAA play in the new year. The conference slate starts at Delaware on Monday, Jan. 2, before W&M heads to College of Charleston on Friday, Jan. 6. Tipoffs are set for 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively. The Tribe returns home to host Hofstra on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tipoff for that contest is set for 2 p.m.
Double-Double Vision
Senior
Alexandra Masaquel (15 points, 13 rebounds) and junior
Abby Rendle (17 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles in the Tribe's win over St. Francis on Dec. 20. It was the first time since Jan. 3, 2016 that two players had recorded double-doubles in the same game. For the season, Masaquel leads the team with two double-doubles, both have come in the last two contests.
First Quarter Success
The Tribe has done a good job imposing its will in the first 10 minutes of the game this season and has been leading at the end of the first quarter in eight of the 10 contests. For the season, W&M holds a 172-113 edge in the opening stanza, including scoring season-high 27 in the win against St. Francis on Dec. 20.
The Game's First Bucket
Furthermore, W&M has scored the game's first basket in seven of its 10 games. The Tribe is 7-0 when they score first and 2-1 when they do not. Individually, senior
Alexandra Masaquel has scored the team's first points four times, while every starter has scored the first points, at least, once.
Non-Conference Wins
After resetting the non-conference win record with nine victories last season, W&M has a chance to set a new record with a win today. The Tribe won eight non-conference games in 2011-12 and 1989-90 and picked up seven non-conference wins on seven different occasions.
