Heading to Halton Arena for the first time Thursday night to play Charlotte, some might think that the No. 8/9 GW (AP, ESPN/USA Today) women’s basketball team should be fazed by the 49ers’ 22-game home winning streak. For junior Kim Beck, Charlotte is just another team on the schedule.
“We’ve had some pretty tough road games along the way, so we’re just going to take it like any other road game and not really take (Charlotte’s) streak into consideration, but we have to play hard either way,” said Beck, who won her second consecutive Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award this week.
GW beat Charlotte 69-65 in the final game of last season. Coach Joe McKeown, who has coached the Colonials for 18 years, has never played at Halton Arena but anticipates an inhospitable atmosphere.
“It must be hard to win there because not many people have done it recently,” McKeown said.
If its play as of late is any indicator, the Colonials shouldn’t have trouble with Charlotte. GW is 21-2 on the season and 7-2 on the road. Recently, the Colonials have hit an offensive stride, averaging 71.8 points in its last six games.
“I think we’re healthy now, for the most part, and we’re starting to shoot the ball and share the ball better and hit people when they’re open,” McKeown said of his team’s recent successes.
Sophomore Jessica Adair, who is recovering from food poisoning after missing practice on Saturday, scored 11 points Sunday against St. Bonaventure despite playing only 12 minutes and fouling out. Adair said that she will be focused on staying out of foul trouble against Charlotte.
“I think it’s more mental than physical,” Adair said. “I have a bad habit of swatting at shots, but if I just cut down on that then I’ll be fine.”
McKeown took advantage of the opportunity to rest certain players and give others more time than usual last week during 30- and 34-point blowouts over Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. He said it is crucial that GW comes out with the same energy and mindset Thursday night.
“When you’re the hunted like we are and you’re ranked eighth in the country, you’ve got to be ready in that you just can’t afford to come out sloppy,” McKeown said. “Good teams will make you pay for that just like we make teams pay when they’re not ready to play.”
Beck said she expects Charlotte to play even harder since the squad is coming off a 67-59 loss to Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. The point guard also said that the Colonials are playing with confidence down the homestretch of conference play.
“We have a lot of players in double figures every game, and I think it’s the perfect time to start peaking because the toughest part of the season is at the end,” Beck said.
