By Dave Johnson

W&M Athletics

Only two players in the Colonial Athletic Association have a higher scoring average than William & Mary guard Sydney Wagner. But neither Towson's Kionna Jeter, Delaware's Jasmine Dickey, nor anyone else in the conference is being asked to carry a heavier load of her team's offense.

Wagner is averaging 21.3 points a game, which calculates to 36 percent of the Tribe's point total on a nightly basis. But don't get the idea that she's a ball hog. As the team's most consistent scorer, she has no choice but to put up shots.

"She's had an incredible, incredible year," W&M coach Ed Swanson said. "I don't think we'd have gotten to six wins without her. She's won some games for us just shooting the basketball. A lot of credit has to go to her.

"Obviously, everybody's got things they can improve upon, but she's playing with a high level of confidence. She's CAA all-league at this point."

The Tribe (6-7, 3-5 CAA) has to have her on the floor. Wagner leads the Colonial in minutes played at 38.9 per game. She's played all 40 minutes eight of the Tribe's 13 games, including four of its last five.

Wagner is shooting nearly 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point arc, both of which become more impressive when you consider the obvious attention she receives from opposing defenses. Nobody else on the team is averaging in double figures or taking more than eight shots a game.

"Obviously, people are trying to limit her touches," Swanson said. "It seems like they're putting more athletic people on her, but she's doing a better job of moving without the ball. And some teams have doubled her off a pick-and-roll situation."

Wagner can score in streaks. Take last Saturday's win at Charleston, in which she scored eight points on three shots in the first quarter but went 1-for-8 in the next two periods. In the deciding fourth, Wagner scored 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting to finish with 21.

In Sunday's game, Wagner scored 28 points on a career-high 26 shots. She went 6-of-19 from the 3-point arc, the attempts another career high. Not ideal, but again, it was necessary.

Wagner began the season at point guard, but Swanson has moved her off the ball by inserting sophomore Chaniqwa Gilliam into the starting lineup the last eight games. Gilliam has averaged 6.8 points a game and 2 assists a game since the change, up from 4.4 and 1.2 when she was coming off the bench.

"She's growing — that's the word I'd use for Chaniqwa," Swanson said. "She's growing on a daily basis. It's not easy being a sophomore point guard in the CAA. She was as backup last year with limited minutes. This year, she's playing 28-plus minutes a game."

Aside from Wagner, W&Ms' calling card this season has been its defense, which ranks second in the conference by allowing 61.3 points a game. The Tribe is holding the opposition to 39-percent shooting from the field and 23 percent from the 3-point arc — third and first, respectively, in the CAA.

But this weekend's opponent is Towson, which leads the Colonial and is second nationally at 88.9 points a game. Jeter, the CAA's Preseason Player of the Year, leads the conference and is sixth nationally at 24.7 points a game.

In two games against Hofstra last weekend, Jeter scored 50 points on 17-of-34 shooting. She was 7-of-16 from the 3-point arc and 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

"Jeter's going to take some shots that will make you shake your head, and she's going to make some of them," Swanson said. "She's a bucket getter. She knows how to score, and she's going to hit some shots with us right in her face.

"We've got to put her in tough opportunities. We have to challenge her. She's going to get her shots; it's just a matter of what type of shots we're going to give her. Obviously, we're going to pay close attention to her."