- It's a beginning and an end all wrapped up in one as W&M closes out 2022 with a trip to Long Island for the start of the CAA schedule and a historic matchup: the first-ever meeting between the Tribe and Stony Brook. The Seawolves joined the CAA this season after previously competing in the America East. W&M dropped its conference opener last year, falling on the road at James Madison. In 2021, however, the Tribe topped Hofstra, another LI opponent, 63-56 to get the conference schedule off on a good foot.
- For the second straight season, W&M finished non-conference play with a 5-6 record. Highlights of the slate under new coach Erin Dickerson Davis included a season-opening win against Navy at Kaplan Arena and an OT road victory over A-10 foe VCU. In addition to the wins, Tribe players have also racked up individual accolades: graduate students Riley Casey & Sydney Wagner and junior Caitlin Wingertzahn all garnered W&M Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
- Stony Brook arrives in the CAA following one of the most successful seasons in its women's hoops history. In the first year under head coach Ashley Langford, the Seawolves posted a 23-6, 14-4 record. The 23 wins were tied for the fourth-most in a season in program history. Stony Brook also earned an at-large bid to the WNIT, the sixth appearance in a national postseason tournament and third in the WNIT during the program's Division I era.
- Big players make big plays and... play big-time minutes. During non-conference competition, four W&M players averaged 25-plus minutes per game, while another four averaged over 15. Five members of the Tribe have posted career-highs in playing minutes so far this season, including junior Rebekah Frisby-Smith, who has bested her personal mark on four different occasions. Meanwhile, the backcourt duo of Wagner and Casey ranks in the top-85 nationally in minutes played per game (Casey: 34.83, Wagner: 34.49).
- The Tribe has proved to be a squad of comeback kids in the first 11 games of the season. Against Longwood (12/18/22), W&M trailed by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before turning things around to capture a 67-57 road win. In the final 20 minutes, W&M shot 50% from the floor while committing only four turnovers. 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.
- The win at Longwood didn't just snap a then-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. 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 conference in points (Casey: 17.4, Wagner: 15.0) 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 11 games so far this season and neither one has played less than 24 minutes on any night.
- A perennial offensive power for the Tribe, Wagner has recorded several big-time career scoring marks in the opening 11 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. Wagner has also dished out two or more assists eight times and notched five multi-steal games.
- Casey cemented herself in William & Mary women's basketball lore on Nov. 27, becoming the second player in program history to record back-to-back 30-plus scoring 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 seventh in the CAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.302) and third in 3-point field goals made (6.5/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 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.
