WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary women's basketball will head to the nation's capital to square off against Howard on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. from the Burr Gymnasium. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
• The Matchup
After a three-game homestand, William & Mary will head to Washington, D.C. for a matchup with Howard. The Tribe is looking to avenge a home loss to the Bison in Kaplan Arena a season ago. W&M is vying for its first road non-conference win since Dec. 3, 2023 at Navy (81-53).
• The Opponent
Howard is off to a 5-1 start and is coming off a 57-44 win over Monmouth on Thursday. The Bison is led by its stout defense, which leads the MEAC in FG% allowed (33.9) and blocks per game (5.4).
• Last Time Out
W&M fell in a close contest to Old Dominion on Sunday, 56-53. Tika Sallman was the lone double-digit scorer for the Tribe, pouring in 14 points with eight rebounds and a career-best five blocks.
• Block Party
Tika Sallman's five blocks against ODU was a career-high and the most by a Tribe player since Kayla Beckwith against Stony Brook on March 9, 2024. W&M ranks second in the CAA in blocks per game with 4.0.
• Filling it Up
Cassidy Geddes has been off to a strong start through three games of her junior season. The preseason All-CAA Second Team selection has posted 20-plus points in two of the first three games this season after putting up 24 on Wednesday against Richmond. Geddes' 20 points per game currently ranks second in the CAA. The Hickory, N.C. native's next game of 20-or-more will be 10th of her career.
• O-Boarding
The brightest spot for the Tribe against Richmond was its effort on the offensive glass. W&M hauled in 20 offensive boards against a lanky Spiders squad. The Tribe has now grabbed 20-plus offensive rebounds in back-to-back games.
• Sharing the Rock
Sharing the ball has been a calling card of Erin Dickerson Davis' Tribe teams and this season is no different. Over the first two games of the year, W&M has had 10 different players earn an assist. The Tribe's 22 helpers vs. Barton tied for the second-most in Davis' tenure and the eighth time W&M has recorded 20-plus assists in a game with her at the helm.
• Back for More
No doubt a rarity in this day and age, the Tribe will return all nine of its non-graduating players from a season ago. W&M adds four freshman while picking Kyah Smith, a former Patriot League All-Rookie selection, from Navy and Ice Dos Santos from Odessa College (JUCO) via the transfer portal.
• Bright Lights=Big Shots
W&M finished the 2024-25 regular season shooting 37.8% from the floor and 25.5% from deep. Over the six-game postseason run the Tribe no doubt found their touch, shooting 44.4% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range in that span.
• Tika and Nat Team Up
Natalie Fox and Tika Sallman have proven to be a nice one-two punch inside for the Tribe through two games. The duo combined for 21 and 22 points at Davidson and vs. Barton. Both posted 11 points in Sunday's win, marking the first time they both hit double-digits in the same game in their careers.
• Ice in Mo's Veins
Monet Dance took her game to a whole different level in the postseason last year. The Roswell, Ga. native averaged 3.9 ppg in the regular season before going off for 14 a game in the CAA and NCAA tournaments. Dance also posted the best 3-point shooting season in program history, shooting a W&M record 43.6% from deep. That stat was aided by her blistering 16-of-21 (76.2%) stretch in the postseason after making just 18 triples in the regular season. She tied the CAA Tournament record with seven treys in the quarterfinals against N.C. A&T on her way to a career-high 27 points. Dance earned CAA All-Tournament Team for her efforts.
• All About Cass
Cassidy Geddes got off to a flying start in her junior season, posting 20 points with five made treys against Davidson in the opener. The Hickory, N.C. native was named to the CAA All-Rookie team in 2024 before averaging 9.6 ppg and earning CAA All-Tourney team honors last season. Geddes averaged 12 ppg during the postseason, scoring in double figures in the last three games. She also tied her career-high with 26 in the CAA quarters against N.C. A&T. Geddes was named Preseason All-CAA Second Team last month.
• Neutral Site, Not a Problem
The Tribe felt right at home all season when playing neutral site games, going a perfect 7-0 in such contests. The seven victories easily cleared the previous program record of four in a season. W&M won more neutral site games last year than it did at home (5) or on the road (4).
• Not Bad, Nat
Despite missing time due to injury, Natalie Fox made quite the impact down low as a freshman for the Tribe. Fox became the first Tribe rookie to post a double-double in over a decade, doing so with 10 points and 12 boards against Long Beach State in her second college game. She came up big in the Tribe's First Four win over High Point, this time with a season-high 12 points to go with a dozen rebounds. She finished the season as the team's leading rebounder.
• Active on the Glass
The last two seasons Erin Dickerson Davis' team has made the rebounding battle a main focus. After only out-rebounding opponents four times in 2022-23, the Tribe has won the battle on the glass 27 times over the last two seasons.
• Comeback Kids
W&M's historic run last season didn't come without adversity and deficits along the way. The Tribe trailed top-seed N.C. A&T in the quarterfinals by 12 points in the middle of the third before coming back to force overtime and earn a win. Campbell was the next victim of a W&M comeback in the championship, getting out to a 14-0 lead and again leading by 13 in the third before succumbing to a Tribe offensive bombardment that included a 61.5% shooting effort in the fourth. The Tribe only had won once when trailing at the half in the regular season.
• Tribe on TV
Naturally, last season brought a new-level of national attention to the Tribe program, with W&M playing a program record 12 games on linear television. Additionally, W&M played its first three nationally televised games in program history in 2024-25. The Green and Gold will be on TV a minimum of 10 times this season with 10 home matchups broadcast on MASN.
• Excellence From E
No other coach in William & Mary women's basketball history has had the success that Erin Dickerson Davis has had through three seasons. With the 16 wins last year, Davis became the first Tribe coach to win 15-plus games in each of their first three seasons. The Tribe won 12 conference games in each of her first two years, tying the program record for CAA wins in season.
• Closing the Deal
Under Erin Dickerson Davis the Tribe is 36-11 when leading at halftime.
• 60 is the Magic Number
60 points is a key number for W&M. The Tribe is 24-9 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 39-5 against them when scoring 70+ since 2020-21. Offensively, the Tribe is 46-16 when scoring over 60 and 4-31 when held below 60 under Davis.
