- OT? Ok. For the fourth time this season, William & Mary captured an OT victory, defeating Elon 84-74 on Friday evening. The tilt marked the first instance in the Tribe's 100-plus year history that the squad has recorded four wins in extra time in a single season. And this season's squad certainly made it one for the record books. Graduate guard Riley Casey recorded her fifth 30-plus point effort while also dishing out a career-high seven assists, and freshman Alexa Mikeska matched her personal best with seven assists of her own. Forward Rebekah Frisby-Smith racked up a career-high 18 points; junior Caitlin Wingertzahn recorded her first-ever double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds), and, in her first collegiate start, freshman Kayla Rolph posted her scoring best with 13 points.
- William & Mary comes into Sunday's matchup winners in seven of its last eight and is 8-2 since the second week of conference play. In its previous seven victories, the Tribe has won by an average margin of 10.8 points and has held opponents to under 41% from the floor on five different occasions. Plus, the Green and Gold have won the turnover battle in all but one of those victories, forcing an average of 17.5 per contest. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the court, W&M is averaging 75 points and 16.3 assists in each of its 2023 wins. In fact, the 19 assists at Elon matched a season-high. And the team's top scorers? Finding the hoop. Casey has eclipsed 20 points five times in '23, while Wagner, despite missing Friday's game with an illness, has hit double-digits in every game she's played since the start of January.
- Dial it up from distance. William & Mary sits fourth in the CAA in 3-point shooting percentage (.322) and is tied for first in 3-point field goals made per game (7.3). Of course, Casey has been the driving force behind those stats. The Tennessee native is shooting a conference-leading 40.4% from behind the arc and is second in 3-pointers per game (2.8). But keep an eye on Frisby-Smith from range, too. She put up a career-high eight triples against the Phoenix (2/10/23) and, since January, has hit at least two treys in nine of 11 games.
- Speaking of Frisby-Smith, the wonder from down under continued her breakout season at Elon (2/10/23). Her 18 points not only marked a career-high but was the third time she's reset that particular mark this year. It was also her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the year, with all six of those performances coming since January. But it isn't just scoring that's helped Frisby-Smith become integral to the Tribe's lineup. In W&M's last seven wins, she's hauled in an average of 6.8 rebounds and dished out two or more assists five times.
- Big players make big plays... and step up when they have to. That was the case on Friday night when, facing a shorter-than-usual bench, all five W&M starters notched 20-plus minutes while Casey and Frisby-Smith recorded over 40 minutes of action. Four Tribe players set new career highs in playing time in the OT win.
- Although she didn't step onto the court on Friday, Wagner is still making good use of every moment this season. Casey, too. The preseason All-CAA First-Team tandem sits top-10 in the conference in minutes (Casey: 34.7, Wagner: 33.9) and is also top-5 in points per game (Casey: 17.7, Wagner: 15.8) and top-10 in 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 2.8, Wagner: 2.0). Nationally, Casey is 40th in 3-point percentage (.404), 19th in 3-pointers per game, and 24th in total 3-pointers (65).
- Taking on W&M for the first time since 2014, North Carolina A&T comes into the matchup with wins in two of its last four. The Aggies fell to Hampton at home on Thursday, just the third time they've lost in Greensboro this season. Jazmin Harris and Maleia Bracone have been an offensive spark for N.C. A&T —they sit 10th and 11th in the CAA in scoring at 13.8 and 13.5 ppg.
- Casey has cemented her name in William & Mary women's basketball lore. Her 30 points at Elon (2/10/23) marked the first time in program history a player has scored 30-plus five times in a season, while her seven 3-pointers against Drexel (1/15/23) and Charleston (1/8/23) match a career-high and Kaplan Arena record. Additionally, she became the second W&M player to record back-to-back 30-plus scoring performances with 31 against George Mason and Army. In those games, Casey shot 53.8% from the field.
- We're walking the line this season. Free throw line, that is. W&M is first in the CAA in free throw percentage (.780), while Wagner is first (.900) among all players in the conference and ninth in the nation. Against the rest of the country, the Tribe ranks 18th.
