WILLIAMSBURG, Va.— William & Mary women's basketball takes on their first ranked opponent in a decade when they travel to face No. 15 Virginia Tech on Thursday at 2 p.m. in Blacksburg. The Tribe are coming off a 86-49 win against Longwood on Sunday. Thursday's game will be broadcast on ACCNX with an audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network.
Fans can keep up with W&M women's basketball by following the program on social media as well. Be sure to check out the Tribe on Twitter (@WMTribeWBB), Facebook (WMTribeWBB), and Instagram (WMTribeWBB).
A New Way to Listen
New this year, the Tribe Sports Network will be providing free audio broadcasts of all W&M women's basketball away contests. Jack Angelucci will be on the call with a pregame show beginning at 1:40 p.m. featuring a pregame interview with Erin Dickerson Davis. Fans can listen at tribeathletics.com/listenlive.
TRIBE NOTES
• The Matchup
William & Mary meets No. 15 Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum on Thursday at 2 p.m. The sides meet for the first time since 2011 when the Tribe rolled to a 78-59 victory in Blacksburg. Thursday's game will be broadcast on ACCNX with an audio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network.
• The Opponent
Coming off a Final Four appearance, the Hokies have suffered set backs this season against ranked LSU and Iowa. VT has won their last three games by at least 25 points heading into their meeting with the Tribe and leads the nation in blocked shots with 7.3 per game.
• Last Time Out
William & Mary exploded offensively on their way to a blowout win over Longwood, 86-49 on Sunday. The Tribe shot a season-high 52.3% from the floor and went 9-of-22 from deep. Nylah Young scored 20 points in just 13 minutes of play due to foul trouble, while Cassidy Geddes poured in a career-high 19. The duo combined for 16-24 FG.
•Big Time Blowout
Sunday was their largest win over a DI opponent since February 2014. W&M also scored over 85 points for the first time under Erin Dickerson Davis and first time since January of 2020. The Tribe's 52.3% from the field ranks second best in a single game since Davis took over and their third time above 50% in that span.
• Hitting the Glass
William & Mary made rebounding a focal point this offseason and has already seen improvement on the boards this year. The Tribe only outrebounded their opponent four times last year, but has accomplished the feat five times in the first 10 games this season. W&M has beaten their opponent on the glass in three of their four wins.
• 60 is the Magic Number
The Tribe has held their opponents under 60 points in all three of their wins this season, while opponents have scored over 60 in all six W&M losses. The Tribe is 10-2 under Erin Dickerson Davis when holding teams below 60. While team's have had a mixed bag of success scoring in the 60s vs. W&M, opponents are 23-3 against them when scoring 70+ since 2020-21.
• Protecting the Rock
The Tribe have turned the ball over just nine and 11 times in their last two outings. Good for their lowest and second lowest TO total of the year respectively. W&M has won the turnover battle in five of their last six games.
• Nylon Nylah
Nylah Young has wasted no time making her presence felt in her first 10 games with the Tribe. Named the CAA's Player of the Week on Monday, Young scored 20 points in just 13 minutes against Longwood on 8-for-11 shooting. It was her league leading fifth game of 20+ and she currently leads the CAA in scoring at 18.3 ppg.
• The Energizer Bella
Bella Nascimento has been a constant on the floor for W&M, she's currently fourth in the CAA in minutes per game (34.2). The former Manhattan Jasper set a career-high in minutes at FIU playing 39. She's played at least 33 minutes in eight of the 10 games and earned FIU Thanksgiving Classic MVP honors. She has led the Tribe in scoring four of the last five games.
• Formidable Opponents
William & Mary's non-conference slate was set up to be a challenging one and has proven to be. The six teams who have beaten the Tribe this year own a combined record of 49-14 as of Tuesday (12/19). A pair of those teams, ODU and VCU, still only have one loss.
• Getting to the Stripe
The Tribe have shown off a knack to get to the charity stripe so far in the non-conference. W&M ranks second in the CAA in FTA/game (19.3) and third in FTM/game (14.6).
