9:36 p.m. Jessica Adair with a big and-one gives GW a 56-50 lead with 1:29 left to go. Villanova can’t connect on a three-point attempt on the other end and Parrish grabs the rebound.
9:32 p.m. Parrish with a big score in transition makes it 53-50 with 2:32 on the clock. I’ll give you one guess who scored the lone Villanova basket since the last update.
9:30 p.m. GW leads 49-48 with 3:30 to play. Kurz has added four points since the last update and it looks like this will go down to the wire. The two teams combined for 35 points in the first half, a total Villanova has matched by themselves in the 16-plus minutes since the break. They’ve combined for 62 after halftime thus far.
9:23 p.m. The Colonials are in front now 44-42 after Antelia Parrish scores on an impressive move with her back to the basket while being fouled and converts the ensuing foul shot. The Wildcats had just taken the lead on the other end on a banked three by Laura Kurz, who now has a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. She’s hit all six of her shots – including three threes – in the second half.
9:17 p.m. Villanova’s Maria Getty hits consecutive threes and the game is now knotted at 39, with the Wildcats opening one- and two-point leads over the last minute. 9:17 left to go.
9:11 p.m. Business has picked up at Smith Center with the game now tied at 33 and 11:44 on the clock. The intensity has elevated with the level of play and this is shaping up to be a much different game than in the first half.
Also, an official release has announced that Steele has been declared ineligible as of last Monday. Hopefully we’ll find out some more details post-game.
9:08 p.m. A flurry of exchanged points has GW leading 31-28 with 14:30 to play. Villanova tied it at 26 on a three by Siobhan O’Connor, but Lavender responded with a three of her own to put GW back in front.
9:03 p.m. The Wildcats have come out shooting in the second half, connecting on consecutive treys from opposite corners of the floor to quickly cut GW’s lead to 24-21 three minutes into the half.
8:52 p.m. Just spoke with Assistant SID Jesse Hooker and he informed me that Lisa Steele will not be playing the rest of the season. More information will be coming.
8:41 p.m. The break has arrived and the Colonials lead 22-13. Jazmine Adair leads GW with seven points and five rebounds in the first half, with Jessica matching her rebound total to tie for the team high. Yolanda Lavender has missed all three of her shot attempts, but she’s distributing the ball well, tallying six assists so far.
8:32 p.m. And the Wildcats continue to inch toward double-digits, with GW now leading 17-9 with 3:49 left in the half. Jessica Adair scored twice in a row, followed by sister Jazmine scoring her first points of the game for an all-Adair 6-0 run before Villanova hit a pair of free throws.
8:27 p.m. Low-scoring affair thus far, as the Colonials lead 13-7 with about 6:40 to go before the break. The Wildcats are having an awfully hard time shooting the ball, making just three of their 19 attempts thus far and shooting 1-for-13 from three.
8:15 p.m. GW leads 8-5 at the first stoppage of play with 12:52 to play in the half. They’re two of three from deep and Myers had a long jumper as well. They haven’t had much success going inside, with Adair missing her only shot attempt and the team’s two turnovers coming from passing into traffic toward Booker in the post.
Your GW starters: Yolanda Lavender, Tiana Myers, Tara Booker, Antelia Parrish, and Jessica Adair.
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Good evening and welcome to the Hatchet live blog for tonight’s home date and non-conference finale against Villanova. Tonight is a “Pack the House” promotion, but turnout is pretty sparse. A quick count shows 48 fans seated in the bleachers (47 if you don’t count a baby being held in another fan’s arms). Maybe it’s post-inaugural exhaustion. The Colonials didn’t hold practice yesterday because of travel restrictions and the Wildcats will have to turn around and drive back to Philadelphia tonight due to lack of hotel space.
We’re a few minutes from game time and senior Lisa Steele is no where to be seen. She’s played just 53 minutes this season – and none since the loss to Auburn Dec. 19. She’s been battling foot injuries all year, as she has throughout most of her GW career, but is not on the bench in street clothes as she normally is when inactive.