WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary women's basketball will continue its four-game road swing as it visits Wake Forest on Wednesday morning. The action will get underway early at 11:30 a.m. from the LJVM Coliseum, with the game being streamed on ACCNX.
• The Matchup
The Tribe continues its four-game road swing with a tripe to Wake Forest on Wednesday. W&M is coming off its first Division I win of the season over Tennessee State on Saturday by a 64-53 final. W&M looks for its first win over Wake Forest in a series that dates back to 1981.
• The Opponent
Wake Forest is off to a perfect 9-0 start, winning all three of its games at the Puerto Rico Shootout last week. The Demon Deacons lead the ACC in scoring defense (51.9) and field goal percentage defense (30.8).
• Last Time Out
Monet Dance led the way with 22 points in the Tribe's win over Tennessee State. W&M was able to overcome a tough shooting day by converting 20 of 24 free throws and forcing TSU into 26 turnovers. It was the Tribe's first non-conference road win since Dec. 3, 2023 at Navy (81-53).
• Pick-pocketing
The 26 turnovers forced by the Tribe against Tennessee State was its most vs. a DI opponent since the 2023-24 season when it forced 26 miscues twice against Hofstra on Jan. 26 and, coincidentally, against TSU on Nov. 24 of that year.
• Money Mo
Monet Dance recorded her second career 20-point game last time out at TSU, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and hitting all seven of her foul shots.
• Cass Doubles Down
Cassidy Geddes not only led the Tribe in scoring for the fourth time this season against Howard, 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.
• 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 17 blocks in its last three games. Individually, Tika Sallman leads the way with eight blocks, followed by Natalie Fox with seven.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
