4:14 p.m. The Colonials win as Duquesne’s Kelly Britcher air-balls the Dukes’ last chance and the ball goes out of bounds. Britcher finished 1-6 from the floor and 0-4 from three. GW takes it 85-82. Check www.gwhatchet.com for a full update later.
4:12 p.m. Well then. The Dukes have surged in the last few minutes and now have the ball trailing 85-82 with 12.2 seconds left after Lavender missed both free throws in a trip to the line. Duquesne has called a timeout to draw up a play.
3:58 p.m. Duquesne takes a timeout after Lavender scores to increase GW’s lead to 78-64 with just over three minutes to play. Lavender now has 11 points – as well as seven assists and four rebounds – and is the fifth Colonial in double-figure scoring for the game, joining Jessica Adair, Parrish, Myers, and Rivera. Booker is one basket away from a double-double, currently sitting at eight points and 12 boards.
3:52 p.m. After a bit of a scoring lull, Jessica Adair has gotten back into a groove, scoring on consecutive possessions. She now has 18 points and 10 rebounds.
GW leads 73-64 with 4:35 remaining after the Dukes hit a pair of free throws. Ivy Abiona had a big block on a fast break, but was called for a foul on the play, leading to the foul shots.
3:42 p.m. Myers just checked herself out of the game and went over to the bench with a limp, pointing to her left ankle. A trainer is tending to her now, removing her left shoe. Myers appears to be wearing a brace on the ankle already. GW leads 65-56 with 7:57 left.
3:38 p.m. Ten minutes to go now and the Colonials lead 63-50. They’ve mostly been treading water the last few minutes, maintaining their lead against a pressing Dukes defense.
3:27 p.m. Another GW turnover and a Duquesne three has this down to a single-digit game, with the Colonials leading 56-48 with exactly 13 minutes remaining.
3:23 p.m. Don’t look now, but the Dukes are making a game of this. They’ve cut GW’s lead to 13 with 14:30 on the clock and have been forcing turnovers and getting up and down the floor much better than in the first half. They’re showing some spark now and while the Colonials have hit a couple of threes to keep themselves out of real trouble, they’re going to have to get some stops on the other end.
3:19 p.m. Just when things had gotten a bit stagnant for GW, Booker drains a three from the corner. The Colonials lead 52-36 with 15:48 to play.
3:11 p.m. The second half has just started, but Bozeman already doesn’t like what he sees. He’s been calling out orders with apparent frustration and finally called a timeout as the Colonials were having trouble setting up their half-court offense. GW leads 45-29 with 18:33 to go.
2:54 p.m. And we go into halftime with the Colonials enjoying a comfortable 45-27 lead. They’ve out-shot (55.2% to 35.5%), out-rebounded (23 to 14), and generally out-played the visiting Dukes for the entirety of the first half. Jessica Adair has 11 points and seven rebounds and is joined in double figures by Antelia Parrish, who has scored 10. Yolanda Lavender has seven points and five assists and Tara Booker has collected seven rebounds.
It appears former Colonial Kayla Miller, who transferred to Delaware in December after playing her first semester of college basketball at GW, is seated behind the team’s bench. Miller is currently sitting out a year of play per NCAA transfer regulations, but will resume her collegiate career as a Blue Hen next winter. I’ll try to confirm that it is indeed Miller.
2:44 p.m. One of Jessica Adair’s elbows caught Duquesne’s Rachel Frederick in the face as Adair attempted to fend her off after grabbing a defensive rebound. Frederick fell to the ground immediately, clutching her face as blood dripped from the area around her nose. She left the court with her face in a towel and the court is now being cleaned. Adair was whistled for a foul on the play.
2:40 p.m. Just over three minutes to go before halftime and the Colonials are up 38-23. GW has hit three of its four three-point attempts, with Parrish nailing both of hers and Lavender making one of two. The Colonials are also enjoying a substantial rebound advantage, grabbing 18 to Duquesne’s 10.
2:32 p.m. About four minutes of play have unfolded and it’s been more of the same. GW leads 26-15 and Jessica Adair already has 11 points and six rebounds. Myers and Erica Rivera are second on the team with four points apiece and Booker has added four rebounds. The Dukes have picked things up a bit but GW is maintaining their advantage thus far.
Very impressive move from the cheerleading squad just now. One of the male cheerleaders had one of the girls on his shoulders with two others out to his side, who he then pushed out to a 45 degree angle, creating a triangle-like effect. I don’t think I described it very well, but it looked great.
2:22 p.m. GW now leads by double digits, up 17-7 with 11:42 left before the break. Much like Villanova Wednesday, the Dukes are struggling from the field. They’ve made just three of their 15 shot attempts so far and have yet to connect from three on five tries.
2:12 p.m. The Colonials are up 10-2 now at the 15:43 mark. Their last basket came on a Booker layup off a nice feed from Myers in transition. Myers got the pass in stride as she ran parallel to the paint, dishing it to her left without slowing down and finding an open Booker waiting under the basket. GW looks faster up and down the court and stronger in the paint thus far, which obviously bodes very well for their chances this afternoon.
2:08 p.m. A timeout for the Dukes as they have had trouble doing much on either end of the court thus far. GW leads 8-0 just under three minutes into the game, with Jessica Adair scoring six of those eight points.
2:03 p.m. Starting lineup: Tiana Myers, Tara Booker, Yolanda Lavender, Antelia Parrish and Jessica Adair. Tip to GW.
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Good afternoon all and welcome to the Colonials’ return to A-10 play with this afternoon’s home date with Duquesne. GW is riding a season-long three-game winning streak over the past two weeks and is 22-0 all-time against the Dukes at the Smith Center. The rest of the picture doesn’t get any prettier for Duquesne, as the Colonials lead the all-time series 46-5.
Lisa Steele, recently announced as ineligible for the remainder of the season as of Jan. 12, is back with the team during pre-game warmups, wearing GW basketball gear and helping collect rebounds and loose balls as the team shoots around. While no reason was given for her ineligibility, Bozeman said she remains a part of the team’s “basketball family,” which seems to be the case. She was absent altogether from Wednesday’s win over Villanova.
