- A non-conference rivalry is renewed on Sunday afternoon as the Tribe squares off against Longwood for the first time since November 2014. It's the first time W&M has traveled to Farmville since 2013, a game that saw the Lancers edge out a 59-52 victory. Although it's been some time since the two teams have met on the hardwood, they've alternated wins in their last four tilts, with the home team victorious in each. It's also a series rich in hoops history—the first game was held more than nine decades ago.
- This afternoon's game marks a meeting of first-year head coaches. Erika Lang-Montgomery came to Farmville following a decade as a Division II head coach and as a Division I assistant at multiple Power 5 programs, most recently the University of Florida. The Tribe's Erin Dickerson Davis is the sixth Division I coach in the program's history. She arrived in Williamsburg after serving as the Associate Head Coach at Wake Forest University where she helped lead the Demon Deacons to a pair of postseason appearances, highlighted by the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 30 seasons.
- Sydney Wagner and Riley Casey have racked up big-time minutes in the backcourt for the Green and Gold so far this year. The preseason All-CAA First-Team tandem ranks among the nation's leaders in minutes played and is top-3 in the conference (Wagner: 35.42, Casey: 35.33). They're also packing the stat sheets during those minutes. Among their fellow CAA players, the duo is top-10 in points per game (Casey: 18.3, Wagner: 15.1) and 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 2.7, Wagner: 2.3). They're also two of three W&M players to start all nine games this season—the other is senior Bre Bellamy.
- In nine games, Wagner has been free as a... very good free throw shooter. A perennial lock at the line, Wagner has missed just four shots in 35 attempts, while the 88.6% she's shooting is 42nd in the country and third in the conference. And she's pretty dominant from the field, too. Wagner has hit double-digits seven times to open the non-conference schedule, racked up four multi-steal performances, and dished out three or more assists on four occasions.
- One of the most prolific scorers in the country, Casey has the stats to back that title up. She ranks among the top-50 in the nation in points per game (18.3) and 43rd in 3-point shooting percentage (.462). In the CAA, she sits top-5 in scoring and top-15 in field goal percentage (.409). Last month, she was named CAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week (11/28/22) and W&M Student-Athlete of the Week (11/29/22).
- Casey cemented herself in William & Mary women's basketball lore on Nov. 27, becoming just the second player in program history to record back-to-back 31-point performances. She did so against George Mason and Army, shooting 53.8% from the field over the two games. Against the Black Knights, she also connected on 6-of-9 shots from behind the arc, matching the third-best single-game 3-point shooting performance by a W&M player.
- Coming off the bench against James Madison (12/11/22), junior Caitlin Wingertzahn had her best game for the Green and Gold, setting seven career highs, including points (18), field goals (6), and minutes (26:39). It was the second time this season Wingertzahn has set a new career scoring high, while she continues to rack up on-court minutes and highlight-worthy plays for the Tribe. Earlier this month, she also connected on what proved to be a game-changing block against CSU (12/4/22), keeping the Eagles from taking the lead late in OT.
- Freshman Kayla Rolph had a breakout game against Coppin State University (12/4/22). In 20:12 off the bench, she recorded career-bests in points (7), rebounds (8), and assists (3).
- W&M is fifth in the CAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.311) and third in 3-point field goals made (6.6/per game). Of course, the Green and Gold have long built a reputation as a deep-scoring threat. Last season, the squad led the CAA in 3-point percentage (.323) and wrapped up the year third in conference in 3-pointers made per game (6.2).
- The Green and Gold will not leave the state of Virginia during the non-conference slate, playing six home games in Kaplan Arena and another five contests on the road against Commonwealth rivals (VCU, Old Dominion, George Mason, Longwood, Norfolk State).
- The Tribe was picked seventh in the CAA preseason standings by vote of the league coaches. Drexel was the preseason pick to win the league with 10 first-place votes.
