WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—The William & Mary women's basketball team kicks off their 2024-25 campaign with a trip to Norfolk State on Monday night.
The Tribe and Spartans are set to tip off at 6 p.m. with a free audio broadcast available via the Tribe Sports Network. W&M was picked preseason fourth in the CAA after back-to-back top five finishes in the conference.
Tribe Sports Network
For the second consecutive 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 5:30 p.m. featuring a pregame interview with
Erin Dickerson Davis. Fans can listen at
tribeathletics.com/listenlive.
TRIBE NOTES
• The Matchup
William & Mary kicks off their 2024-25 season with a trip to Norfolk State on Monday at 6 p.m. This will be the second consecutive year that the two programs open the season against each other, with NSU winning 66-64 last year in Williamsburg.
•
The Opponent
Coming off their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and MEAC championship, Norfolk State heads into 2024-25 as the favorites in the MEAC again. The Spartans are a combined 53-13 in the last two seasons and 22-1 at home. Their lost home loss was on 2/6/23.
• A Look Back
W&M enters year three of the
Erin Dickerson Davis era fresh off their second consecutive winning season (15-14), and second consecutive 12-6 mark in CAA play. The Tribe finished fifth in CAA posting back-to-back top-five finishes in the conference for the first time since 2007. During last year's non-conference W&M also won the FIU Thanksgiving Classic.
• Running it Back
Many key pieces from last year's roster return for the Tribe in 2024-25. Despite the loss of All-CAA First Team member
Nylah Young, W&M will return seven of its top eight scorers for a year ago, accounting for 70.7% of last year's scoring.
• Newfound Height
The Tribe adds six new players to the roster in 2024-25, four freshman and two transfers. Five of the six newcomers are over 6-feet tall. The average height of the six new players is slightly over 6'1, while the average height of the eight returners is 5'9.
•Punching the Time Clock
All eight of the returners for W&M played in at least 24 games last year and averaged over 10 minutes per game, accounting for 84% of minutes and 81% of starts for the Tribe a season ago. The group also accounted for 94% of the Tribe's assists last year.
• Coach E Extended
W&M Director of Athletics, Brian Mann, announced in late August that head coach
Erin Dickerson Davis had agreed to a contract extension through 2029. Through two seasons Davis became the fastest coach to 20 CAA wins in program history and fastest to 30 career wins in 95 years.
• Preseason Accolades
Bella Nascimento earned Preseason All-CAA Second Team honors on Oct. 18 and is the Tribe's returning leading scorer at 12.4ppg.
Cassidy Geddes earned a preseason honorable mention coming off her CAA All-Rookie honors last year. W&M was picked tied for fourth in the preseason poll.
• Getting to the Stripe
Last year the Tribe wore out the path to the free throw line, attempting 521 free throws, their most as a program since 2009-10. W&M finished the year ranked 60th nationally in FT rate.
• Got Height?
Speaking to the added height on this year's Tribe roster, freshman
Natalie Fox at 6-foot-4 is the tallest player W&M has had since 2017-18. Abby Rendle was a senior that season and was also 6'4.
•Don't Mind the Pressure
Just shy of half of the Tribe's games under
Erin Dickerson Davis have been decided by 10 points or less. W&M is 17-11 in such games and is 14-15 in games decided by 11+ under Davis.
• Locking it Down
The Tribe had one of its best defensive years in recent history last season, holding its opponents to just 38.2% shooting from the floor. That serves as the best mark for the Tribe since 2009-10.
• Competing on the Glass
W&M became a much better defensive rebounding team during the 2023-24 season. The Tribe's 25.6 defensive rebounds per game rank as the most since 2008-09 and the fourth most in program history. W&M out-rebounded its opponents 14 times last year after only accomplishing the feat four times in Davis' first season.
• Not Working Overtime
Over the last five seasons the Tribe has rarely needed overtime to settle their contests. Last year's home overtime win against Delaware was just the second OT game for the Tribe in the last five years and its first under
Erin Dickerson Davis.
• 60 is the Magic Number
The Tribe has its opponents under 60 points in 11 of its 15 wins last season, while opponents scored over 60 in 10 of the 14 W&M losses. The Tribe is 17-5 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 27-4 against them when scoring 70+ since 2020-21.
• Tough Early Tests
After kicking off the season against back-to-back MEAC champions Norfolk State, the Tribe will head west to play Long Beach State and UC Irvine. The Beachers enter 2024-25 picked fourth in the Big West, while Irvine was picked second in the same conference and went 23-9 last year. Later in the month they will play A-10 favorites, Richmond, and ODU, which was selected third in the Sun Belt.
• California Dreaming
When the Tribe heads to California on Nov. 9 and 11 it will be the first time they have played in California since 2004 in the Odwalla Classic. It will be the first time since 2001 W&M has played a true road game in California.
• Pack Your Bags
From Nov. 29 until Jan. 3 the Tribe will not play a game at home. The 35 straight days without a home game is the fifth longest stretch in DI.
