WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary women's basketball will visit the Music City on Saturday as it plays Tennessee State in Nashville. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET from the Gentry Center with the game being streamed on ESPN+.
• The Matchup
This is the second meeting ever and second in the last two years between the two. W&M beat the Tigers 63-53 in the semifinals of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic in 2023.
The Opponent
After losing the first four games of the year, Tennessee State grabbed its lone win of the year over North Alabama before dropping a local bout with No. 17 Vanderbilt its last time out. The Tigers are currently third in the OVC in blocks per game at 4.4 and have used their length to also be top-five in their league in steals.
• Last Time Out
The Tribe got into a 11-0 hole on Sunday in the nation's capital, which proved to be the difference, falling to Howard 64-53. W&M battled all afternoon long but the Bison were able to fend off all comeback efforts. The Tribe cut it to a 48-46 game with 8:49 in regulation but the Bison used a 12-2 run to put the game away.
Cassidy Geddes led W&M with her first career double-double, posting 17 points and 10 boards.
• Active on the Glass
W&M's effort on the boards was the team's bright spot in the game at Howard. The Tribe out-rebounded the Bison 40-32 on Sunday, W&M's first time winning the battle on the glass this season.
• Cass Doubles Down
Cassidy Geddes not only led the Tribe in scoring for the fourth time this season on Sunday, but the junior was impactful as a rebounder from the guard position. Geddes snagged 10 rebounds to go with her 17 points for the first double-double of her career. She joins
Natalie Fox,
Alexa Mikeska and Tika Sallman as the four players on the Tribe's roster to have double-doubles in their career.
• Filling it Up
Cassidy Geddes has been off to a strong start through five games of her junior season. The preseason AllCAA Second Team selection has scored 16-pus for the Tribe in four of the first five outings this season. Geddes has also led the team in scoring in all but one of the first five games this season. The next 20-point performance from the Hickory, N.C. native will be the 10th of her career.
• Sultan's of Swat
Through five games the Tribe have been altering shots at a high level. W&M is currently second in the CAA in blocks per game at 4.2. The Green and Gold have logged eight and five blocks in its last two games, the first time the Tribe has had five-plus blocks in back-to-back games since the start of February. The Tribe has never blocked five-plus shots in three straight games under
Erin Dickerson Davis.
• Nat on the Glass
After a strong freshman season,
Natalie Fox is poised for another solid season in Green and Gold in 2025- 26. The LaGrangeville, N.Y. native scored in double figures in the first three games this season, the first time in her career she has scored 10-plus in three straight outings. The sophomore grabbed a career-high 13 boards on Sunday at Howard surpassing her previous watermark of 12. Through five outings Fox leads the team at 7.8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 9.2 per game.
• 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.
• Block Party
Tika Sallman was effective around the rim in the Tribe's matchup with Old Dominion, collecting a career-high five blocks. The five rejections were the most by a W&M player since
Kayla Beckwith collected five in March of 2024.
• Not Afraid to Switch it Up
Last season
Erin Dickerson Davis showed no issues making changes to her starting five and this year has been no different. Through three games in 2025-26 the Tribe has rolled out three different starting lineups, with
Marley Long making her first career start against Richmond. Last year W&M used 12 different starting fives throughout the season, including using a brand new combo in last year's CAA title game.
• 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.
• 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. W&M's first win of the season against Barton was Davis's 50th in her head coaching career.
• 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 40-5 against them when scoring 70+ since 2020-21. Offensively, the Tribe is 46-16 when scoring over 60 and 4-34 when held below 60 under Davis.
• A Historic Look Back
The 2024-25 season is one that will not be forgotten by Tribe fans far and wide, with W&M going on a magical run as the No. 9 seed to win the CAA Championship over Campbell. W&M became the lowest seed to ever make the CAA title game let alone win the championship. The Tribe went on to beat High Point in the NCAA Tournament First Four, 69-63, before bowing out to No. 1 seed Texas in the first round in Austin, 105- 61. The Tribe finished the season 16-19, 8-10 CAA.
• Finally Dancing
Prior to the CAA championship game, William & Mary was the lone original DI member eligible for the first postseason in 1938 to have never made an NCAA Tournament in men's or women's basketball. The Tribe's triumph over High Point in the First Four was naturally the school's first ever NCAA Tournament win in basketball.
