Tribe to Close Out CAA Road Slate at Northeastern on Sunday

02/29/08 3:00PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team will play its final road game of the regular season when it squares off against Northeastern on Sunday at 2 p.m.

In its last outing, the Tribe (13-15, 7-9) earned its second consecutive victory with a 70-50 win against Hofstra on Thursday evening at Kaplan Arena. Junior Courtney Portell went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, as she broke the program’s single-season record for made three-pointers. With the performance, the Woodbridge, Va., native increased her career total to 66, moving past the previous mark of 63 established by Yolanda Settles during the 1993-94 season. Senior Kyra Kaylor also played well and finished with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. With the impressive offensive effort, Kaylor moved past the 1,800-point milestone for her career.

Sophomore Tiffany Benson enters this weekend’s action playing particularly well of late. Benson is averaging 19.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 4.0 bpg during the last two contests. Additionally, she has connected on 16-of-23 shots. Defensively, freshman Katherine DeHenzel has also come up big recently and is averaging 5.3 spg during the last four contests.

Kaylor leads the College with 14.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg, ranking among the conference’s top five in both categories. Benson ranks second in the league with 1.75 bpg, while senior Devin James is second with 2.86 spg.

As a team, W&M ranks third in the Colonial Athletic Association with 5.89 made three-pointers per game, while it is fourth in rebounding (38.8 rpg), steals (11.50 spg) and blocks (3.11 bpg).

Northeastern enters Sunday’s contest on a four-game winning streak and owns an 11-15 record overall and a 6-10 mark in league play. Shaleyse Smallwood leads the team with 13.1 ppg, while Kendra Walton is the squad’s top rebounder with 5.7 rpg.

The College and NU have played just three times, with W&M earning victories in two of the meetings. Earlier this season, the Huskies recorded a 65-64 win in Williamsburg. James led the Tribe with a double-double, totaling 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Kaylor registered a game-high 18 points to go with eight boards. Kaylor has posted impressive numbers against NU throughout her career, averaging 21.3 ppg and 12.0 rpg.

Game Notes