- We have to agree with Taylor Swift and her song lyrics on this one: it's golden. Sunday afternoon's game, at least. William & Mary will once again host its annual Golden Game on Feb. 5, taking on first-year CAA foe Monmouth. It isn't, however, the first time these two teams have squared off. The Tribe took on the Hawks twice in 1997, and while Monmouth captured wins in both games, they came by an exceedingly small margin—just a combined five points.
- Grad guard Sydney Wagner has been on an offensive tear over her last few games. Against Delaware (1/29/23), the multi-year Green and Gold standout scored a career-high 33 points, becoming the fifth player since 1975 to reach that mark in a single game. The scoring effort is also tied for the third-highest in a single game since '75. Wagner, whose previous career-high was 31 against Delaware in 2021, finished 9-of-20 from the floor and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line. It marked the second-most made free throws in a game without a miss in school history. Her follow-up? Nothing short of historic. Wagner's team-high 19 points at Hampton on Friday night moved her into 13th place on the W&M all-time scoring list. She's now less than 100 points away from cracking the top-10.
- Senior forward Bre Bellamy had one of the most complete, all-around games of her impressive W&M career at Hampton on Friday night. The New Jersey native recorded her third career double-double (and second of the season), scoring 18 and hauling in 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. But that wasn't all, either. She also dished out three assists and grabbed three steals. Bellamy is top-15 in the CAA in rebounding, averaging 6.2 boards per game.
- The Tribe comes into Sunday's tilt winners in five of their last six and four of their last five at Kaplan. In its last five wins, W&M has held opponents, on average, to just over 38% from the floor while forcing 18 turnovers per contest. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the court, W&M is averaging 72.4 points and 16.6 assists per victory while turning the ball over less than 15 times. And the team's top scorers? Finding the hoop consistently. Wagner and fellow grad student Riley Casey have both hit double digits in four of the five wins, while the pair have each crested the 30-point mark once.
- There truly is no place like home for the Green and Gold this season. Seven of the Tribe's 11 wins have come at Kaplan Arena, with three victories coming wire-to-wire. But what else has happened in the 'Burg? Let's recap. W&M's highest-scoring game: 84 points in an OT win over Coppin State (12/4/22). The most 3-point field goals in a single game at Kaplan, ever: 14 against Charleston (1/8/23). The most free throws made: 21 against Navy (11/7/22). And the most steals: 14 against UNCW (1/27/23).
- Monmouth makes the trip to W&M winners in three of its last four, including a 63-59 win over Hofstra on Friday. Lucy Thomas led the way for the Hawks with a team-high 19 points, but keep an eye on Brianna Tinsley in this matchup. The grad guard currently sits 19th in the CAA in scoring (11.4/ppg) and is eighth in 3-point field goal per game (1.9).
- Alexa Mikeska might be a freshman, but she's playing like a vet. After recording multiple career highs in W&M's wins over Hampton (1/19/23) and Charleston (1/22/23) —and earning CAA Rookie of the Week honors for her efforts — Mikeska continues to pack her stat sheet. At Hampton, she finished with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and just one turnover in 31 minutes of work. During the Green and Gold's four-game win streak in January, Mikeska averaged nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two turnovers a night.
- Wagner and Casey are making good use of all their minutes this season. The preseason All-CAA First-Team tandem sits top-10 in the conference in minutes (Casey: 34.1, Wagner: 33.8) but is also top-5 in points per game (Casey: 16.7, Wagner: 15.5) and top-10 in 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 2.8, Wagner: 2.0). They're also the only two W&M players to start all 21 games. Nationally, Casey is 45th in 3-point percentage (.406) and 26th in 3-pointers per game.
- Casey has cemented her name in William & Mary women's basketball lore. 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 season, while her seven 3-pointers against the Dragons 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 (.779), while Wagner is first (.909) among all players in the conference. Against the rest of the country, the Tribe ranks 20th.
