WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William & Mary women's basketball team closes a stretch of three games in seven days as it begins a two-game road swing against former CAA rivals at East Carolina on Tuesday night. Tip time between the Tribe and the Pirates is set for 7 p.m.
Â
Â
- W&M and ECU meet for the 48th time in series history and for the fourth consecutive season. The Pirates lead the all-time series 33-14, but W&M has won the last four meetings. The Green and Gold topped ECU at Kaplan Arena last year 63-43, and won a thriller 71-65 in overtime in its last visit to Minges Coliseum.
Â
- For the ninth time in the Division I era, which started in 1981-82, W&M has begun the season off 2-0. It is the third time under head coach
Ed Swanson that the Tribe is 2-0. W&M has only started 3-0 one time in that span, which was 1987-88.
Â
- Sophomore
Eva Hodgson has gotten off to a hot start to the 2019-20 season. The team's leading scorer, she is averaging 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. She set a modern-era school record as she scored 27 points, which was the most in a season-opener and her career-high, against Army. All-time, the most points in a season opener was 30 by Mar-C Million in 1963.
Â
- Freshman
Bre Bellamy became the third straight true freshman to earn an opening night start on Tuesday night at Army. During coach Swanson's tenure with the Tribe, he has started at least one true freshman in five of the seven seasons he has been the coach. The rookie was in double-figures for the first time against Maryland Eastern Shore with 11 points. She's currently tied for third on the team averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Â
- Redshirt sophomore, transfer
Sydney Wagner hasn't missed a beat after having to sit out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. Coming off of the bench and both contests, she averaging 13.0 points per game and 3.0 3-pointers per contest.
Â
- Swanson needs just three more career victories to claim the 500th of his career. He is currently 32nd among active head coaches with 496 wins and will become 69th Division I head coach to reach that mark.
Â
- Despite losing two-time All-CAA First-Team selection
Bianca Boggs to graduation, W&M still returns four starters from last year's roster, including double-figure scorers senior
Victoria Reynolds and sophomore
Eva Hodgson. Furthermore, the Tribe returns 67-percent of its points, 57-percent of rebounds, and 57.5-percent of its assists from last season.
Â
- W&M was selected to finish seventh in the CAA Preseason Poll by a vote of the league's head coaches. Last year's regular-season champions James Madison was picked as the preseason favorite, while Drexel was picked second, and 2019 CAA Champions Towson was picked third.
Â
- Senior
Victoria Reynolds garnered a Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention citation the league announced during the league's digital media day. Reynolds has averaged double-figures the last two seasons. She appeared in 31 games with 27 starts last season scoring 338 points (10.9 ppg.), 164 rebounds (5.3 rpg), 71 assists, 21 blocks, and 40 steals. For her career, she has appeared in 89 games with 57 starts, 789 points (8.9), 654 rebounds (5.2 reb.), and 152 assists. Reynolds has been in double-figures in 39 career games, including 20 a season ago.
Â
- W&M has won at least 15 games in each of the last five seasons, which is the longest such streak in school history. The Tribe posted back-to-back winning seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18, which included tying a school record with 20 wins in the 16-17 campaign.