Tribe to Play at VCU on Wednesday

01/08/08 6:30AM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team will return to action when it plays at Virginia Commonwealth on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Despite falling to Towson in its conference opener, the Tribe (6-7, 0-1) got good individual performances from senior Kyra Kaylor and junior Courtney Portell. Both players finished with a team-high 15 points, while Kaylor totaled a game-high 16 rebounds. Kaylor has recorded a double-double in three of the last five contests, while Portell has connected on at least three three-pointers in five of the last six games.

Kaylor currently leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.8) and ranks among the conference’s top 10 in both categories. Sophomore Tiffany Benson continues to lead the Colonial Athletic Association with 2.31 bpg, and has recorded at least one rejection in 25 consecutive games. Portell leads the league in three-pointers made per game (3.2), a figure that ranks sixth nationally.

As a team, the College leads the conference and ranks eighth in the country with 7.8 three-pointers made per game. Additionally, W&M ranks 27th nationally with 11.8 steals per game and is forcing the opposition into 20.5 turnovers per game.

VCU enters Wednesday’s contest with an 11-1 record overall and a 1-0 mark in league play. In its last outing, the Rams defeated Northeastern, 77-65, in both teams’ conference opener. Quanitra Hollingsworth earned a double-double in the victory with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds. Krystal Vaughn leads the squad in scoring (15.5 ppg), while Hollingsworth is averaging a team-best 9.4 rpg. The Rams are surrendering just 52.4 ppg, a figure that leads the CAA and ranks eighth nationally.

Last season, W&M and VCU split a pair of contests as each school won on its home court. Kaylor has played particularly well against the Rams during her career, nearly averaging a double-double with 16.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg.

Game Notes