WILLIAMSBRUG, Va.— The William & Mary women's basketball team looks to get back in the win column, kicking off their final weekend at home with a matchup against Northeastern on Friday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. with the game broadcast on FloCollege.
Friday is also the program's "I Heart W&M" game, with the first 100 students in attendance receiving free t-shirts.
Clear Bag Policy
William & Mary Athletics, in conjunction with the William & Mary Police Department, has implemented a clear bag policy that regulates the size and type of bag that may be carried into W&M Athletics facilities during the 2024-25 year, including Busch Field, Kaplan Arena, Martin Family Stadium, Plumeri Park, and Zable Stadium. Information as well as approved and prohibited items is available at
TribeAtheltics.com.
TRIBE NOTES
• The Matchup
W&M looks to pick up a season sweep of Northeastern when they welcome the Huskies to Kaplan Arena on Friday evening. The Tribe will also be trying to end a four-game skid and avoid falling below .500 in CAA play for the first time this season.
•
The Opponent
The Huskies have struggled this season with a record of 2-21, 1-13 CAA and have been shorthanded due to injury. Their lone CAA win came against Hofstra on Feb. 16 with their other victory coming at Wagner. They rank last in the CAA in both scoring offense and defense.
• Last Time Out
After a hot start against a highly touted Charleston squad, the Tribe was unable to hang on, falling to the Cougars 79-76 on Sunday.
Kayla Rolph led the Tribe with a career-high 5 triples and 21 points.
Bella Nascimento was right behind with 20 while
Cassidy Geddes adding 12. Both Nascimento and Geddes had tries from deep in the final five seconds to force overtime but could not get them to fall.
• One-Two Punch from Three
Kayla Rolph and
Bella Nascimento combined to make nine of the Tribe's 10 3-pointers on Sunday vs. Charleston, making five and four respectively. The five from Rolph was a career-high, while Nascimento's four tied a career best for the fourth time. The last time two Tribe teammates combined for nine or more treys in the same game was when Riley Casey made seven and
Rebekah Frisby-Smith added three, also against Charleston, on 1/8/23.
• Top of the Class
Bella Nascimento has asserted herself as one of the best players in the CAA, currently leading the league in scoring during conference play at 19.4 per game. Nascimento's 20 on Sunday vs. Charleston marked her ninth game of 20-plus in CAA action, also a league best. She has scored in double figures in all but four games this year.
• More 3-Ball Facts
For the third time this season the Tribe knocked down 10 3-pointers on Sunday after having no such games last season. The 10 makes also marked the first time the Tribe has made 10 or more treys in a conference game since making 12 against Hofstra in March of 2023.
• Welcome Back, KB
After missing 12 games due to injury,
Kayla Beckwith saw her first significant minutes of CAA play on Friday and put up quite the performance. The grad center posted 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting to go with eight rebounds, marking her third game with eight rebounds this year. The performance was just the third time in her career, and second time this season, Beckwith has posted 10-plus points and eight-plus rebounds.
• Consistent From the Stripe
The Tribe knocked down 14-of-15 from the free throw line on Sunday, making it the second time this season the Tribe has only had one miss from the line in a game. W&M is currently the second best free throw shooting team in the CAA at 72.2% on the season and is on pace for their fourth straight year shooting better than 70% from the line.
• Mo's Career High
Monet Dance was a bright spot for the Tribe on Friday against N.C. A&T. The sophomore point guard put up a career-high 11 points and her first career double-digit game. All three of Dance's field goals came from deep, also setting a career-high for triples made in a game.
• Everybody Assists
With
Marley Long's three assists leading the Tribe at Delaware, W&M has had nine different players lead the team in assists this year. Even more impressively, eight of those nine players have led the team in helpers on multiple occasions.
• Taking Care of the Rock
After turning the ball over just once in the second half against a Charleston team that was second in the nation in turnover margin, the Tribe has won the turnover battle in nine of the last 12 games. Over that span W&M has turned the ball over under 10 times twice, while also turning the opponent over 15-plus times on seven occasions.
• Injury Bug
After a year in which injuries were few and far between for the Tribe, the injury bug has caught up with them through 25 games in 2024-25. The Tribe has had five different players miss time with injury this year for a total of 30 games.
Kayla Beckwith (11),
Natalie Fox (8),
Alexa Mikeska (6),
Rebekah Frisby-Smith (2), Anahi Cauley (2),
Marley Long (1) is the group who makes up those absences.
• Sharing the Rock
61.6% of the Tribe's baskets this year has been assisted, the second highest rate in the CAA and 49th in the nation. Drexel is the only CAA team with a higher percentage of assists at 71.8%, which is the best in the nation.
• Month to Remember
The Tribe closed out January with a 6-2 record. The six wins is W&M's most in a month under
Erin Dickerson Davis and the third straight January the Tribe has won five-plus games. Davis has never had a losing January or won less than five games in the month during her tenure.
• Newfound Height
The Tribe adds six new players to the roster in 2024-25, four freshmen 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.
• 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.
• 60 is the Magic Number
60 points is a key number for W&M. The Tribe is 23-7 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 35-5 against them when scoring 70+ since 2020-21. Offensively, the Tribe is 39-15 when scoring over 60 and 4-26 when held below 60 under Davis
