Tribe to Open Conference Slate Against Towson

01/04/08 1:30PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team will begin conference play when it hosts Towson on Sunday at 2 p.m. Picked to finish third in the league during the preseason, W&M has won at least 10 conference games in each of the last two seasons.

In its last non-conference game, the Tribe (6-6) defeated UC Irvine, 71-56, at the Bank of Hawaii Invitational. Sophomore Tiffany Benson was selected to the all-tournament team after totaling 17 points and 17 rebounds in the victory against the Anteaters. Senior Devin James also had good performance versus UCI, recording 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Senior Kyra Kaylor leads the team in scoring with 14.8 ppg, while Benson is the squad’s top rebounder with 9.3 rpg, a figure that ranks third in the Colonial Athletic Association. Benson also continues to lead the conference in blocks (2.42 bpg), while James and junior Courtney Portell both rank among the top five in steals.

Benson is averaging a double-double during the last seven games with 11.4 ppg and 12.1 rpg. During the span, she is also contributing 2.9 bpg and 2.0 spg. Portell has also played particularly well recently, averaging 18.3 ppg during the last four contests.

As a team, W&M leads the league with 8.17 three-pointers per game and ranks second in blocks (3.75 bpg). Additionally, the College is forcing the opposition into 20.9 turnovers per game.

Towson enters this weekend’s contest with a four-game winning streak and has an 8-3 record. Holly Mahan leads the team with 15.1 ppg, while Kandace Davis is the team’s top rebounder with 7.9 rpg. As a team, the Tigers lead the CAA with 12.91 spg.

The Tribe has dominated the all-time series with Towson, 9-3. However, all three of the Tigers’ victories have come in the last four meetings.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Kaylor will be honored for recently becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Game Notes