- Take it from the top, Tribe! For the second straight game, W&M led wire-to-wire, playing on top until the final buzzer en route to Thursday's 69-54 victory over Hampton. It was the Green and Gold's third straight win at Kaplan Arena, after defeating Charleston (1/8/23) and Drexel (1/15/23), and was another solid defensive effort from the squad. Over its last three wins, the Tribe has forced just over 15 turnovers per game while holding opponents to under 40% from the floor. And from 3-point range? W&M's defense has been lock-down, allowing only 10 total treys during the stretch.
- We'll hold off on the "She's a freshman!" chants for now, but in her first season with W&M, guard Alexa Mikeska is quickly cementing herself as a solid presence on both sides of the ball. Returning to the starting lineup when conference play began, the California native had the best game of her young career against Hampton, scoring a personal best 16 with six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. She also played a season-high 34 minutes in the win.
- In her first three games against Charleston, graduate student Riley Casey has been nothing short of dominant. Earlier this month, she posted her third 31-point game of the season against the Cougars. On the road last February, in 37 minutes of work, she connected on 50% of her shots for the first 30-point game of her W&M career. That performance came less than a month after Casey scored 27 at Kaplan Arena.
- Casey continues to add her name to William & Mary women's basketball lore this season. Her 31 points against Drexel (1/15/23) marked the first time in program history a player has scored 30-plus four times in a single season. Her seven 3-pointers against the Dragons and Charleston (1/8/23) also match a career-high and Kaplan Arena record. Additionally, earlier this year, she became the second W&M player 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 connected on 6-of-9 shots from distance, matching the third-best single-game 3-point shooting performance by a W&M player.
- Charleston comes into Sunday's game the victors in two straight after defeating Hofstra and Monmouth. Of the Cougars' eight wins this season, six of them have come at home. Often leading the charge in those wins? Jada Logan. The guard is a sparkplug for the Cougars', averaging 17.3 points per game—second in the CAA. She also sits eighth in the conference in field goal percentage (.367).
- We're walking the line this season. Free throw line that is. W&M leads the CAA in free throw percentage (.774), while grad student Sydney Wagner is first (.891) among all players in the conference. Against the rest of the country, the Tribe ranks 29th. The Green and Gold was 15-of-16 from the charity stripe against Drexel (1/15/23), with four players shooting 100%.
- Big players make big plays and... play big-time minutes. In Thursday's win over Hampton, all five starters logged over 30 minutes, while a total of 11 players saw game-time action. This season, five Tribe athletes have posted career highs in minutes, including junior Rebekah Frisby-Smith, who has topped her personal mark four times. Plus, the backcourt duo of Casey and Wagner ranks in the CAA top-10 in minutes per game (Casey: 34.0, Wagner: 32.9).
- Wagner and Casey are making good use of all those minutes. The preseason All-CAA First-Team tandem sits top-10 in the CAA in points (Casey: 17.1, Wagner: 14.2) and 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 2.8, Wagner: 2.1). They're also the only two W&M players to start all 17 games. And, nationally, Casey is 33rd in 3-point percentage (.425) and 21st in 3-point field goals per game.
- She comes from a land down under! And she's regularly packing her stat sheet. Australia native Frisby-Smith has had a breakout winter, setting career highs in 10 different categories. Against Hampton (1/19/23), she scored a career-high 12 points, hauled in nine rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded three steals. It was the second time this season she's recorded a new personal best in points after racking up 11 against CofC (1/8/23).
- Wagner has recorded several big-time career scoring marks this year. At Longwood (12/18/22), she posted her 20th career 20-point game, the third time she scored 20 or more this season. At Kaplan on Thursday, she recorded her 60th career double-digit scoring performance. Wagner has also dished out two or more assists 13 times and notched six multi-steal games.
