The Colonial women put the disappointment of their NCAA Tournament snub behind them for 40 minutes Wednesday night to beat the University of Delaware 78-71 in the first round of the WNIT at home. Erica Lawrence, who scored a season-high 23 points, notched the 1,000th point of her career.
GW advances to the second round to take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday evening.
The Colonials had three steals and 10 points in the last two minutes and 15 seconds of the first half, creating an intensity that kept the Colonials ahead through the second half. Intensity had been missing from the Colonials’ last two games, highlighted by an Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal loss to Xavier last week.
“We do better under pressure,” Lawrence explained. “We know we’re one and done from now on.”
Head coach Joe McKeown and his Colonials had been expecting a bid to the NCAA Tournament but were disappointed Sunday night when the selection committee did not place them in the seeding.
“I’m shocked I’m sitting here,” McKeown said. “A week ago after Rhode Island (GW’s 26-point win), I was thinking Sweet Sixteen, and all of a sudden we have a bad stretch of two games. I’m a little bitter, as you can probably tell.”
While they admit the WNIT is not the tournament they were hoping for, the players were happy for a chance to extend their season.
“I didn’t want to end the way we ended it at A-10’s,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence had the best game of her season, with 23 points, seven rebounds and two assists. She scored her 1,000th point late in the second half, moving her to the 19th spot on GW’s all-time list. Lawrence’s performance contrasts her sub-par season, where the forward averaged just more than five points a game, a drop of six points from last season.
“It just happened, and it’s about time,” Lawrence said of her performance. “My teammates push me every day, and I have them to thank.”
Lawrence said some of the trouble she had been having throughout the season came from playing the power forward position instead of the small forward, a position the lanky 6-foot Lawrence is more comfortable with. The stellar performance surprisingly came off the bench, as Liz Dancause started in favor of the veteran Lawrence.
Sophomore Alexis Darling and freshman Anna Montanana also
got the start replacing usual starters Marsheik Witherspoon and Lindsey Davidson. Davidson sat the whole game. McKeown said the change was due to a disciplinary action for a violation of team policy. The regular starting lineup should be back in effect for Saturday’s game, McKeown said.
The new starting lineup may have caused GW’s slow tempo at the start, as the Colonials were unable to catch up with the Blue Hens until 12 minutes remained in the first half. After that the first half was back and forth.
The second half was all GW, as the team held the Blue Hens to 34 percent shooting in the second half and stretched its lead to as big as 11. Joens had 17 of her 23 in the second half and Ugo Oha had 10 of her 18 total in the second half.
