- A non-conference tradition continues as the Tribe takes on nearby foe Norfolk State for the eighth straight season. William & Mary brings a four-game win streak into the series, which first started nearly 50 years ago, and has won 14 of its last 15 against the Spartans. The Green and Gold's only loss during that span? An 80-74 OT showing at Kaplan Arena in December 2017. More recently, the Tribe posted a 55-50 showing against NSU last season and, on the road the year before, grabbed a 55-44 victory as Sydney Wagner racked up a game-high 29 points.
- Big players make big plays and... play big-time minutes. With a shorter-than-normal bench in Sunday's 67-57 road win over Longwood, five W&M players saw more than 30 minutes of in-game action. Fresh off one of her best games for the Green and Gold, junior Caitlin Wingertzahn notched a career-high 38 minutes, while Wagner and fellow grad student Riley Casey also posted over 33 minutes. Of course, that's nothing unusual—the backcourt duo ranks in the top-65 nationally in minutes played per game (Wagner: 35.4, Casey: 35.0).
- The comeback kids proved themselves as strong as ever in Sunday's win over Longwood. Trailing by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, the Tribe turned things around coming out of the half and found a rhythm down the stretch. In the final 20 minutes, W&M shot 50% from the floor while committing only four turnovers. Late-game heroics are nothing new for this squad: three of the Tribe's five wins this season have come after trailing at halftime, while W&M has also been victorious in both of its OT games.
- Sunday's showing at Longwood didn't just snap a two-game skid for the Tribe—it also marked multiple career performances for multiple players. Freshman Kayla Rolph posted a personal-best 10 points in 32 minutes off the bench. Junior Rebekah Frisby-Smith's 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, were the most she's ever hauled in, while Casey matched a career-high six assists. Wingertzahn also pulled in eight rebounds to set a new individual mark.
- Wagner and Casey are making good use of all those minutes this year. The preseason All-CAA First-Team tandem sits top-10 in the CAA in points (Casey: 17.6, Wagner: 15.7) and 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 2.6, Wagner: 2.3). They're also the only two W&M players to start all 10 games so far this season and neither one has played less than 25 minutes on any night.
- A perennial offensive power for the Tribe, Wagner has recorded several big-time career scoring marks in the first 10 games of the year. At Longwood (12/18/22), she posted her 20th career 20-point game, the third time she scored 20 or more this season. And last month, she recorded her 50th career double-digit scoring performance. In addition to putting the ball through the hoop, Wagner has helped jumpstart the W&M offense in other ways. She's dished out two or more assists seven times and notched five multi-steal games.
- One of the most prolific scorers in the country, Casey has the stats to back that title up. She ranks among the top-60 in the nation in points per game (17.6) and 45th in 3-point shooting percentage (.448). In the CAA, she sits top-5 in scoring and top-10 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 30-plus 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.
- W&M is sixth in the CAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.305) and third in 3-point field goals made (6.4/per game). Over the years, the Green and Gold have 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.
