WILLIAMSBURG, VA - The William and Mary women's basketball team (8-8, 4-3 CAA) opens a two-game weekend road trip with a matchup at Towson (7-9, 2-5 CAA) Friday night at 7:30 at the Towson Center. W&M will be looking for its third-straight win. The last three-game CAA winning streak came in the 1995-96 season when the College knocked off UNC Wilmington, Richmond and East Carolina.

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• The Tribe is 4-1 all-time at the Towson Center and is averaging 63.8 points per game in those five contests.

• W&M will be looking for its fifth road win of the year.

• Sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor leads the CAA in scoring and rebounding. She is ranked sixth in the country in rebounding and 23rd in scoring. She has recorded a double double in every game but three this season. She is tied for fifth in the NCAA for most double doubles in a season.

THE COACHES
Debbie Taylor is in her seventh season at the helm of the Tribe women's basketball team, and sports a career record of 59-127. Prior to joining the Tribe, Taylor was an assistant coach at South Carolina for three seasons. Towson is led by Joe Mathews, who is in his fifth season at the school. He brings a record of 37-83 into tonight's contest.

SERIES HISTORY
William and Mary leads the all-time series 8-2, but the Tigers have won the last two meetings.

KAYLOR AND KELL SHINE
William and Mary sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor and freshman guard Dani Kell were named the Colonial Athletic Association's Co-Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Monday. Kaylor averaged a double double for the week, with 16.5 points and 14.0 rebounds as she posted two double doubles to raise her season-totals of 13 double doubles in 16 games. She played every minute in both games, as she scored 20 points and matched her season-high with 17 rebounds in the win over VCU. She also posted three blocked shots and dished out two assists. In the win over Delaware, she scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while also recording three blocked shots and one assist. She shared honors with Old Dominion's Sherida Triggs. Kell earned her first weekly honor after averaging 16.0 points in two games, as she scored a career-high 26 points in the win over Delaware. She was 9-12 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 4-4 effort from three-point range as she played a carer-high 37 minutes.

SCORING BALANCE
Four of the Tribe's five starters are averaging at least 10.3 points per game, led by Kyra Kaylor's 19.3 average. Freshman guard Dani Kell is second at 10.4, while senior guard Lizzie Schiel and sophomore forward Devin James are both averaging 10.3 points. The four are shooting a collective 43.6 percent (297-681) from the floor and 38.1 percent (69-181) from three-point range.

KAYLOR KEEPS ON KEEPING ON
Sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor has been on fire this season, as she has posted 13 double doubles in 16 games. Her string of consecutive double doubles was halted in the loss at Vanderbilt, as she scored 19 points, but pulled down just three rebounds. In the win over Longwood, she set then-season-highs with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Her 19.3 points per game average is currently second in the single-season school record books, and her 11.7 rebounding average would be a school record. This from a redshirt sophomore who missed all but four games last season due to multiple injuries.

IRON WOMAN
Kyra Kaylor has played all 40 minutes in the last two contests, and saw 18 minutes of action in the second half of the George Mason contest. So, in the last two and a half games, she has played 58 of a possible 60 minutes. This season, she has played 528 minutes, second only to guard Sarah Stroh's 530 minutes.-

ON FIRE FROM THE FLOOR
The Tribe broke a 23-year old school record when it shot a blistering 61.4 percent from the floor in the win over Delaware, the first time in school history that it eclipsed the 60 percent plateau. No player missed more than five shots, and all but one player shot at least 44.4 percent from the floor. The previous record, 59.4 percent, came on November 23, 1982 against Virginia Wesleyan. In the win over Longwood, W&M shot 54.8 percent, which is the fourth-highest percentage in school history.

CONSECUTIVE CAA WINS
The Tribe won both of its games last weekend, home wins over Virginia Commonwealth and Delaware. It was the first time the College had won consecutive conference games since the 2001-02 season.

OVER .500 IN THE CAA
The Tribe's 4-3 CAA record marks the first time since the 2000-01 season that they have a record of above .500 in conference play. That year, W&M started 1-0.

SCORING MORE IN THE CAA
Kaylor is doing most of her damage in CAA games, as she is averaging 21.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in conference play so far this season. In those seven CAA games, she has scored at least 13 points and is shooting 52.9 percent (54-102) from the floor and 46.2 percent (12-26 from three-point range).

KAYLOR ALONE AT THE TOP
Kaylor enters tonight's contest as the leader in the Colonial Athletic Association in both scoring and rebouding. Her efforts have not been lost in the national statistics. Her 19.3 points per game average is 23rd in the latest NCAA stats, and her 11.7 rebounds per game average is sixth.

KAYLOR TIED FOR FIFTH IN DOUBLES
Kaylor is tied for fifth in the NCAA for most double doubles in a season with 11 in games played through January 17th. She is the only CAA player ranked in the top 10.

Double-Doubles, Division I Players Only
(Through Jan. 17, 2006)
1. Courtney Paris, Oklahoma -- 14
2. Khara Smith, DePaul -- 13
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa -- 13
4. Ashley Haynes, Austin Peay -- 12
5. Jenny Callan, Lehigh -- 11
Kyra Kaylor, William & Mary -- 11
7. Zane Teilane, W Illinois -- 10
Armintie Price, Mississippi -- 10
Yolanda Jones, UL-Lafayette -- 10
10. LaToya Davis, Texas Tech -- 9
LaKrisha Brown, Morehead State -- 9
Gabrielle Guegbelet, C Connecticut -- 9
Jackie McFarland, Colorado -- 9
Sylvia Fowles, Louisiana State -- 9
Megan Frazee, Liberty -- 9

FIRST 30-POINT SCORER IN CAA
Kaylor became just the sixth player in school history to record at least 30 points in a game when she finished with 30 in the win over Georgia State. It was the first time a Tribe player finished with at least 30 points since February 8, 2003, when Jen Sobota scored 32 in a loss at Hofstra. The 30 points ranks sixth on the all-time single-game chart. She became the first player in the CAA to score at least 30 points in a game this year.

COULD HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
Five CAA women's basketball players have led the conference in both scoring and rebounding in the same season:
2003 - Kristine Austgulen, VCU; 2000 ? Lucienne Berthieu, ODU; 1998 ? Nyree Roberts, ODU; 1992 - Celeste Hill, ODU & 1985 ? Gwen Austin, UNCW. Each was in turn voted CAA Player of the Year. That bodes well for Kaylor who tops the conference with averages of 19.3 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game.

KAYLOR IN RARE COMPANY
If she keeps her current pace of averaging a double double, Kaylor will become just the second player in school history to average a double double for the season. Ashleigh Akens finished the 1993-94 season averaging 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

BACK-TO BACK WINS ON THE ROAD
The Tribe's win at Drexel gave them its first back-to-back road wins in conference since the 1993-94 season they defeated UNC Wilmington and East Carolina.

TRIBE SLAYS DRAGONS WITH FIRST HALF SHOOTING
The Tribe shot a season-best 60% from the floor, including a sizzling 80% from three-point range in the first half in the win at Drexel Friday night. W&M converted four of its five three-point field goal attempts, as senior guard Lizzie Schiel sank both of her attempts, and freshman guard Dani Kell made her only attempt. Kyra Kaylor scored 14 points of her 22 points in the first half. W&M matched its season-high for most points in a half with 37.

KAYLOR CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
William and Mary sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Women's Basketball Player of the Week two weeks ago. Kaylor averaged 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in three games, losses to High Point and Old Dominion and a win over Georgia State. She scored a career-high 30 points on 8-11 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 4-4 effort from three-point range. She also converted 10 free throws in 14 attempts. She also set her season-high with 17 rebounds, one shy of her career high in the win over GSU. She was the first player in the CAA to score at least 30 points in a game this season. Kaylor's designation makes her the first Tribe player to earn Player of the Week honors since November 21, 2001, when Quintina Walker was named the Player of the Week after scoring 25 points in the Tribe's 77-72 win over Pittsburgh.

HANGING TOUGH WITH ODU
The Tribe valiantly hung in with the 14-time defending CAA Champion Old Dominion Lady Monarchs before falling 77-68. It was ODU's closest win over the Tribe since February 29, 1992 when the Lady Monarchs claimed a 64-56 win in Norfolk. In that game, the Tribe outscored the Lady Monarchs 44-39 in the second half.

TRIBE SIZZLES IN HOT-LANTA
The Tribe enjoyed its finest shooting performance from three-point range in the win over Georgia State. W&M shot a sizzling 71.4% from three-point range, converting 10 of its 14 three-point attempts. The 10 three-pointers made is tied for the third-most in a single game in school history. Sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor and senior guard Lizzie Schiel both went 4-4 from beyond the arc.

SCHIEL NEAR PERFECT AT GSU
Senior guard Lizzie Schiel pieced together a near-perfect shooting performance in the win over Georgia State. The Wayne, PA product sank six of seven field goal attempts, including a perfect 4-4 from three-point range and a 2-2 effort from the free throw line. She finished with 18 points, 15 coming in the second half.

SWISHING AT THE STRIPE
The Tribe was not only hot from the three-point line, but it was also hot at the free throw line. The Tribe converted 21 of its 25 free throw attempts in the win at Georgia State, good for an 84% success rate. That is the third-highest single-game perecentage in school history, and the highest since breaking the school record with an 89.7% rate against Old Dominion on January 1, 2002. The strong outing raised the team's free throw shooting percentage from .662 to .689. After a 9-13 effort in the loss to Old Dominion, the Tribe vaulted from eighth in the CAA in free throw shooting to fourth.

JAMES BREAKS KAYLOR'S STRING
Sophomore forward Devin James scored 21 points in the Tribe's loss to High Point, and in doing so, broke classmate Kyra Kaylor's seven-game string of leading the team in scoring. Kaylor has led the team in scoring in eight of 10 games, with James leading the other two games.

COMPLETING NON-CONFERENCE
William and Mary finished its non-conference schedule with a 4-5 record, defeating Colgate, Norfolk State, Longwood and Hampton. In those nine games, the Tribe averaged 65.4 points per game as three players averaged double figures in scoring. Kyra Kaylor finished with a 17.8 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game averages, while Devin James averaged 10.2 points per game and Dani Kell 10.1.

CRUSE GOES DEEP
Senior guard Tiara Cruse converted just the second three-point field goal of her career in the loss to Vanderbilt. It was her first successful basket from beyond the arc since the 2002-03 season, when she was at Southern Methodist University.

BOONE COMES ON STRONG
Sophomore center Jalen Boone enjoyed her finest game of the season in the loss at Vanderbilt. Boone finished with 11 points (nine in the second half) while grabbing five rebounds. She followed that up with a six point effort in the loss to High Point.

OVERTIME NOT FUN FOR TRIBE
The Tribe lost to Mount Saint Mary's 85-74 in overtime and it extended the Tribe's winless streak in overtime games to 13. The last Tribe win in overtime came on February 15, 1992, an 83-80 home win over Radford.

OFFENSE SHOOTS LIGHTS OUT
The Tribe shot a then-season-best 54.8 percent (34-62) from the floor in the win over Longwood, which is the fourth-highest single-game percentage in school history. It was the first time the Tribe eclipsed the 50 percent mark in five seasons, when they shot 54 percent (27-50) in a win at Richmond on January 25, 2001. The 34 field goals made is tied for the second-most in school history.

SECOND HALF BARRAGE
The Tribe's 49 points scored in the second half in the win over Longwood is tied for eighth most in a second half in school history. The last time W&M scored at least 49 points in the second half came on January 3, 2002, a win over American.

CRAZY EIGHTS
The Tribe's 82 points in the win over Longwood came two years to the day after the last time they eclipsed the 80-point mark. W&M scored 88 points on November 29, 2003, an 88-79 win over Howard in Kingston, RI.

DANI DEADLY FROM THE FLOOR
Freshman guard Dani Kell poured in a then career-high 18 points in the win over Longwood, as she converted eight field goals in 10 attempts. Her 80 percent shooting for the night is the fifth-highest single-season percentage in school history. The last time a Tribe player shot 80 percent or better from the floor in a game was on December 20, 1997, when Mary Ranone shot 81.8 percent in a 77-56 win over the College of Charleston.

LEADING AT THE HALF
In all eight of its wins this season, the Tribe has held the halftime lead. With the exception of the Colgate and Hampton contests, W&M's halftime leads have been in the double digits.

TOUGH DEFENSE
In the win over Norfolk State, the Tribe held the Spartans to just two field goals in the final 8:32. Both were three-pointers, one at the 8:32 mark, and the final one came with just 27 seconds remaining.

TOUGH DEFENSE, PART II
After Pittsburgh shot 41.7 percent from the floor against the Tribe in the season opener, the Tribe defense forced Colgate and Norfolk State to shoot just 28.6 percent (38-133) from the floor combined. W&M held Norfolk State to a 23.8 percent (15-63) effort, including a 22.2 percent showing in the second half. The 43 points allowed is tied for tenth in school history for fewest points allowed in a single game. It was also the first time W&M held its opponent to under 50 points since holding UNC Wilmington to 48 points in a 55-48 Tribe win in Williamsburg last year.

RELAX AT THE END
The Tribe's 70-43 win over Norfolk State was the largest margin of victory in three years. Prior to last its 27-point win over its local rivals, the College's biggest win was 25 points, which came on December 31, 2003, a 77-52 win over Charleston Southern in Atlanta in a tournament hosted by Georgia Tech.

GOING DEEP
In 16 games, the Tribe has attempted 259 three-pointers, and have converted 94 of those (.363). Senior guard Lizzie Schiel leads the team with 35 trifectas in 82 attempts (.4270000).

SCHIEL FROM DOWNTOWN
Senior guard Lizzie Schiel emerged as one of the top three-point field goal shooters in the CAA and in the school record books. The Wayne, PA product converted 43 trifectas in 127 attempts last season, a .339 success rate. The 43 three-pointers made was fourth-most in the CAA and her .339 was ninth. In her career, Schiel has made 129 of 394 attempts (.327), which is currently tied for fourth on the all-time list. Her 129 three-pointers made is fifth and 394 attempted is fourth.

FOR LONG DISTANCE, DIAL 3
After not playing in either game of the season-opening TD Banknorth Classic hosted by the University of Vermont (which was her first trip on an airplane) freshman guard Courtney Portell made a big swish into her collegiate career in the win over Norfolk State. The Woodbridge, VA product ignited a 17-6 Tribe first-half closing run with three NBA range three-pointers. Portell finished the night 3-5 from the floor for nine points, while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists in just 11 minutes. She continued her hot shooting at Liberty, connecting for six points on 2-4 shooting from the floor. Both of her field goals were three-pointers. For the year, Portell is shooting 7-17 from the floor (including 7-16 from three-point range) in 11 games.

FIRST WINNING RECORD IN FIVE SEASONS
The Tribe's win over Norfolk State gave the Tribe a 2-1 record, which marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that they have had a winning record at anytime during the season. The last time W&M sported a winning record was at 8-7 that year after defeating Drexel 75-71 in Williamsburg on January 18, 2002.

WELCOME BACK
Sophomore forward Kyra Kaylor saw her first action in nearly a year in the the TD Banknorth Classic, and she picked up right where she left off prior to her injuries. The Pittsburgh, PA product was named to the all-tournament team after recording double doubles in both games, a loss to Pittsburgh and a win over Colgate. Kaylor scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss to her hometown school, and one night later, clicked for 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 36 minutes.

KAYLOR, KELL MAKE HISTORY
All was not negative in the season opening loss to Pittsburgh. Sophomore Kyra Kaylor and redshirt freshman Dani Kell became the first teammates in school history to record double doubles in the same game. Kaylor scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Kell, in her first collegiate game, scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 32 minutes.

TRIBE CONTROLS BOARDS
W&M outrebounded Colgate 50-45 as Kell and Kaylor were the only two players to record at least 10 rebounds. It was the first time the Tribe had outrebounded an opponent since December 30, 2004 in a win over Hampton. That night, the Tribe outrebounded the Lady Pirates 36-35. Until the Colgate contest, W&M had come up short in the rebounding category in the last 19-straight games, including the season opening loss to Pittsburgh. The Tribe made it two in a row after outrebounding Norfolk State 49-38.

KELL FINALLY SEES ACTION
Redshirt freshman Dani Kell played in the first game of her career in the win over M.I. Express after sitting out all of last season with an illness. Starting at guard, Kell, who was ranked among the 125 best guards in the country by the All-Star Girls Report as a senior, scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out eight assists in 25 minutes.

YOUTH IS SERVED
Nine of the 13 players on the Tribe roster are freshmen or sophomores. Tiara Cruse and Lizzie Schiel are the only seniors on the roster, while the junior class consists of Katy Neumer and Sarah Stroh. The Tribe is tied for ninth nationally in terms of youngest squads.

OH CANADA, PART DEUX
Two years after guard Sarah Stroh became the first Canadian to play basketball for William and Mary, she has some company. Freshman forward Julianne Thomas-Drolet became the second player from Canada on the Tribe roster. Thomas-Drolet is a native of Quebec City, Quebec. Both women are fluent in French as well as English.

IDENTITY CRISIS
Three of the William and Mary freshmen could suffer from identity crisis, since they wear different jersey numbers when at home and on the road. Courtney Portell wears number two in the home whites, but wears number three on the road. Julianne Thomas-Drolet wears number 13 home and number 30 on the road. Finally, Lauren Aadland wears number 34 at home and 33 on the road.

UP NEXT
W&M travels to Harrisonburg for a game at James Madison Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.