8:56 p.m. Booker intercepts the inbound pass and that’s all, folks. The Colonials hang on to win 68-64 to move to 2-0 on the season. Check back at www.gwhatchet.com later for more.
8:54 p.m. Jackson dribbles out about 15 seconds’ worth of clock and then drives and dishes to Mostafa, who knocks down a short jumper from the baseline to put GW ahead 68-64. Coppin State misses a three – a rarity tonight – on the other end and Shipp ends up with the ball, getting fouled. She misses both shots and Coppin State calls a timeout with 3.3 seconds on the clock, the same amount of time that remained when Shipp hit the game-winning shot Tuesday at North Texas.
8:52 p.m. Manley bounces the ball off of a foot – someone’s foot – and it goes out of bounds. Manley thought the ball hit Mostafa; the referee disagreed and said it hit Manley. It will be GW ball with 48.9 seconds left.
8:50 p.m. The Colonials grab a defensive rebound on the next possession, but Shipp loses her handle while bringing the ball up court and it goes out of bounds for a turnover with 58.6 seconds to go. It will be Coppin State ball after a timeout.
8:49 p.m. Nipe hits a jumper and GW has the lead, 66-64 with just over a minute to go.
8:47 p.m. Mostafa heads to the line and makes one of two to tie the game at 64 as we enter the final two minutes of regulation.
8:45 p.m. Jackson pulls up from mid-range and knocks down a jumper to regain the lead, but Downing answers with a jumper from the left wing to put the Eagles back ahead 64-63 with 2:10 to go.
8:43 p.m. Manley knocks down her shot to put Coppin State up 62-61.
8:41 p.m. Manley sneaks in the backdoor for a layup and is hacked from behind by Myers. Manley will head to the line for a free throw after an official timeout with the score tied at 61 and 3:56 on the clock.
8:39 p.m. Shipp gets a steal at the top of the key and then finds a streaking Jackson, who scores a breakaway layup to tie the game at 59. On GW’s next possession, Mostafa is fouled while shooting and makes both shots to put the Colonials up 61-59 with 4:28 to go.
8:37 p.m. The tie is short-lived, as Manley scores on the other end to put the Eagles ahead 59-57. There is now 5:40 left in regulation.
8:36 p.m. After Chanelle Downing connects on a long jumper for Coppin State, Mostafa answers with a mid-range shot from the baseline. The Colonials get a defensive stop and Myers makes two free throws on the other end to tie the game at 57 with 6:22 to play.
8:30 p.m. Shawntae Payne hits a long jumper and then a three for Coppin State and suddenly they lead 55-53 with just over eight minutes to go. Coppin State is putting on a shooting clinic, having now made eight of 10 three-pointers.
8:27 p.m. Cummings three; 51-50 GW; 10:18 to go. Coppin State has made seven of nine three-point attempts, with Cummings account for five makes on six tries.
8:24 p.m. Out of the timeout, Allums hits a straightaway three to make it a 51-47 GW lead, then Coppin State’s Crystal Whittington is whistled for traveling. There’s 11:02 left in the game.
8:22 p.m. Cummings with another three and GW’s lead has shrunk to one point with 11:37 left in the game. Bozeman has called a timeout to talk things over; he can’t be too satisfied with the team’s play this half. Since the break, the Colonials have been outscored 19-11.
8:18 p.m. Shante Cummings connects from deep to cut GW’s lead to four, but Mostafa responds with a layup on the other end. GW leads 48-42 with 13:21 on the clock.
8:16 p.m. Mostafa makes the second of two free throws and the Colonials lead 45-39 inside the final 15 minutes. GW is just eight of 14 from the foul line tonight.
8:14 p.m. H to the ippo dancing to “H to the Izzo” during a timeout.
8:12 p.m. Shipp enters the game and on her first offensive possession drives baseline for a layup, then finds Myers for a basket in transition to put GW ahead 44-37 with 15:30 to play.
8:09 p.m. On a basketball note, the Eagles are staging a surge, scoring on two straight possessions to cut the Colonials’ lead to four points approximately two minutes into the second half.
8:07 p.m. On a related note, Coppin State head coach Derek Brown is wearing his security credential around his neck.
8:07 p.m. The second half is underway and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention head coach Mike Bozeman’s suit, featuring a black blazer and pants with a navy shirt and navy-and-sky-blue striped tie. Also, Coppin State hit a three and Myers answered with a mid-range jumper. GW leads 39-31.
7:50 p.m. We head into halftime with the Colonials ahead 37-28 after Shipp scores in transition shortly before the break. GW is shooting well thus far, making 14 of 29 shots from the floor including three of eight from beyond the arc. Myers leads all scorers with 10 points and Booker is second on the team with eight points, six of which came on a pair of three-pointers. The team has registered 11 assists on its 14 baskets, with Jackson, Booker and Allums tied for the team lead with two apiece. Eight of the 10 Colonials in action have recorded assists. Mostafa has had another well-rounded game through one half, tallying four points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Also, the First Ladies just performed a routine in sparkling gold dresses, their third outfit of the night already.
7:42 p.m. According to the Tonic trivia question, Mostafa’s favorite band is Fall Out Boy. Just so you know.
7:40 p.m. Not much scoring of late from either team – there’s been just one basket in nearly four minutes – and Bozeman looks displeased as he calls timeout. Coppin State is shooting just 28.6 percent from the floor, while the Colonials have made 12 of 25 shots.
7:39 p.m. The Colonials are cold from the line. Jackson and Shipp each missed a pair of free throws, but GW still leads 32-20 with 4:18 left in the half.
7:31 p.m. Another nice play from Myers, who grabs a loose ball in the backcourt and, in one off-balance motion, tosses it underhanded with both hands to Jackson, who puts it off the glass for two. There’s an official timeout shortly thereafter and GW is up 32-18 with 7:08 on the clock.
7:30 p.m. Shortly after re-entering the game, Myers scores her second and third breakaway layups in transition off feeds from Nipe and Mostafa, respectively. Myers is leading all scorers with 10 points and the Colonials are up 30-18 with 7:39 to go before halftime.
7:26 p.m. Mostafa records her first block of the night after tallying eight at North Texas Tuesday and then Coppin State is whistled for traveling in the form of shuffling feet and sort of hopping without dribbling. The ref mimicked the act while signaling his call.
7:25 p.m. Jeanine Manley hits both and GW’s lead is cut to 22-16.
7:22 p.m. We’ve got an official timeout at the 10:06 mark and GW leads 22-14. Booker hit a three from the corner, but the Eagles scored on the next two possessions while Booker missed a second three-point try in between. They’ll also be getting a pair of foul shots on the other end of this First Ladies dance routine.
7:19 p.m. The Eagles’ Leola Spotwood hits a three to cut GW’s lead in half, but freshman Janine Davis immediately answers on the other end with a three of her own and classmate Shi-Heria Shipp adds a layup. GW leads 19-10 with 12 minutes left in the half.
7:14 p.m. A layup from Booker pushes the Colonials’ lead to 14-4 just inside of the 14-minute mark and prompts a Coppin State timeout. A few minutes earlier, sophomore Kay-Kay Allums – sporting some sweet black leg sleeves – came into the game and immediately buried a jumper, then fed Myers in transition for a fast break basket.
7:10 p.m. Mostafa hits a short jumper after draining a pair of free throws and GW leads 6-2 at the 16:38 mark. The game has already seen six turnovers, three from each team.
7:06 p.m. A quick start: Myers grabs the ball off the tip and buries a 15-foot jumper to give the Colonials a 2-0 lead.
7:02 p.m. The GW starters are being announced with ceiling lights out and a spotlight on the players. Pretty cool new perk of the renovations. The lineup: redshirt freshman Brooke Wilson, freshman Megan Nipe, sophomore Sara Mostafa, freshman Danni Jackson and sophomore Tiana Myers.
Sophomore Tara Booker is the noticeable absence from the starting lineup; I would imagine it’s due to the same meniscus troubles that limited her to 18 minutes Tuesday. She still managed 10 points and five rebounds in the win.
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Good evening and welcome to the live blog for the women’s basketball team’s first home game of the season against Coppin State. The extremely young Colonials started their season on the right foot Tuesday at North Texas with a dramatic two-point win on a basket from freshman Shi-Heria Shipp. Sophomore center Sara Mostafa, who averaged only six minutes per game last year, dominated the low post with 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks, all team-highs and career-bests. With the Adair twins graduating after last season, Mostafa’s emergence in the season opener has to be encouraging for head coach Mike Bozeman and promising for the team’s future.
The visiting Eagles are 2-0 so far, having beaten a pair of Division II opponents – West Virginia State and St. Augustine’s – at home over the weekend. Coppin State, like GW, played in the WNIT last March and has appeared in five consecutive postseasons. They also reached the WNIT in 2007 and played in the 2005, 2006 and 2008 NCAA tournaments.
Having begun on the road after not having a preseason game, tonight will be the first opportunity many fans have to see the Colonials in action. With so many new faces among the team’s young roster – all 10 healthy players are underclassmen – it will be interesting to see them play without so many of the familiar faces GW observers have grown accustomed to seeing over the past few seasons.
The stands are pretty empty right now on both sides of the floor, but there are still more than 10 minutes until the opening tip. We’ll be back with the Colonials’ starting lineup once it is announced and updates throughout the game.
