W&M to Play Georgia State in CAA Tournament Opening Round on Thursday

Watch Live

03/11/08 11:30AM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The seventh-seeded William and Mary women’s basketball team will begin its quest for the Colonial Athletic Association championship when it squares off against 10th-seeded Georgia State in the opening round on Thursday at noon in Newark, Del.

In the teams’ only meeting this season, W&M (13-17, 7-11) earned a 75-57 victory against the Panthers in Atlanta on Jan. 17. Senior Kyra Kaylor led the Tribe with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while classmate Devin James finished with 21 points (15 in the second half) and five steals. James connected on 7-of-10 shots and sank all four of her attempts from beyond the arc. Sophomore Kelly Heath added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while freshman Katherine DeHenzel tallied seven assists and six steals. As a team, the College shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the field and went 8-of-15 from long range. Additionally, W&M totaled 15 steals and forced the Panthers into 23 turnovers.

Kaylor leads the Tribe in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg), as she ranks among the top five in the conference in both categories. Sophomore Tiffany Benson and senior Devin James have performed well defensively, as Benson leads the league in blocks (1.87 bpg) while James is third in steals (2.73 spg). With 249 career steals, James needs just nine more to break the school record of 257 established by Jen Sobota (1999-03).

In addition to her impressive play defensively all season long, Benson finished the regular season playing incredibly well at both ends of the floor. The Virginia Beach, Va., native averaged 17.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 4.5 bpg during the last four games.

As a team, the Tribe ranks third in the Colonial Athletic Association in three-pointers made (5.8) and fourth in rebounding (39.0 rpg), steals (11.17 spg) and blocks (3.27 bpg).

Georgia State enters the tournament as the 10th seed after going 5-13 in conference play. Additionally, the Panthers finished the season by losing five of their last six games. CAA Rookie of the Year Brittany Hollins leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), while Shay Rawls is the squad’s top rebounder (8.3 rpg).

W&M controls the all-time series with GSU, 4-2. The teams have met just once in the conference tournament, as the Panthers earned an 81-66 victory in the opening round of the 2006 CAA Tournament.

CAA Tournament Notes
CAA Tournament Bracket