The GW women’s basketball team’s 11-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion as host Xavier came out on the winning end of a quadruple overtime battle in front of 2,136 Sunday at the Cintas Center.
With the loss, the Colonial women (15-6, 9-1 A-10) sacrificed their place as the only undefeated team in the Atlantic 10 but still hold a three-game lead over Xavier (15-7, 7-4 A-10) in the A-10 West.
Xavier senior guard Amy Waugh sank two free throws with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime to put Xavier up 94-90. GW could only respond with a missed three-point attempt and a last-second field goal by Lindsey Davidson, leaving the Colonials two points short, 94-92, at the end of the longest game in the history of either program.
Waugh hit four free throws in the fourth overtime and Xavier senior guard Reeta Piipari had five points in the frame, including a three-pointer that broke an 86-86 tie with 2:38 left. After the basket, Xavier never relinquished the lead and GW hurt its own cause by missing two free throws in the final 1:40.
GW’s Greeba Outen-Barlow forced the original overtime, hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key to knot the game at 58 as time expired in regulation.
Xavier scored the first seven points of the first overtime but Valerie Williams converted a three-point play to even the score at 68, sending the game into a second overtime.
Again Xavier jumped out to a lead, but GW responded, tying the game at 74 with two minutes left – which is how it stayed until the third overtime.
The frame seesawed with GW managing an 80-77 lead until Xavier standout freshman Tara Boothe (31 points, 19 rebounds) scored to bring Xavier within one and answered a GW basket with a three-point play to even the game at 82, forcing the final overtime.
Cathy Joens’ 21 points and Outen-Barlow’s 16 points led GW. Lindsey Davidson grabbed 15 rebounds for the Colonials, setting a career-high.
In the women’s 11th win of the season Friday, Cathy Joens scored her 1,000th career point, helping her Colonials over Dayton 80-53.
Joens (17 points) surpassed the 1,000-point plateau when she hit a three-pointer with 4:22 left, giving GW a 20-point lead.
GW jumped out to a 19-9 lead after nine minutes and continued to extend the margin throughout. By halftime, it was 41-21 and the Colonials were out-shooting Dayton 67 percent to 26 percent.
Players and coaches declined to comment for the story.
