As the season winds down for GW’s women’s basketball team, its record suggests this is a lost season, but head coach Mike Bozeman doesn’t see any quit in his team.
In their final road game of the season, the Colonials (8-19, 3-10 Atlantic 10) traveled to Cincinnati to take on No. 6/6 (AP, ESPN/USA Today) Xavier, their first nationally ranked opponent of the season. Due to injuries, including a concussion that kept sophomore guard Danni Jackson out of the game, Bozeman could only use seven players.
Despite the tough 67-41 defeat at the hands of the Musketeers, Bozeman left the game impressed with how his team fought through the challenge its diminished ranks presented.
“I’m proud of them. This group of seven played hard tonight,” Bozeman said. “They kept on fighting all game and to go into halftime down eight? That’s a big-time effort.”
The Colonials were able to disrupt the Xavier rotation for stretches Wednesday night, forcing 12 turnovers over the course of the night. GW also limited National Player of the Year candidate, senior forward Ta’Shia Phillips, to just nine points, well below her season average of 15 points per game.
Several Colonials performed well offensively against Xavier, though their contributions ultimately weren’t enough to push the depleted squad to victory. Junior guard Tiana Myers scored a team high 11 points and senior forward Ivy Abiona added eight points and seven rebounds of her own against the Musketeers. Junior center Sara Mostafa added eight points, and sophomore forward Brooke Wilson contributed seven points and six assists. Bozeman was proud of the efforts from Myers and Abiona, stressing after the game the drive the two exhibited is invaluable to the Colonials as the closes out its season.
“If we can take the effort and discipline into [our next game against] Saint Joesph’s, we can establish our momentum,” Bozeman explained. “The girls are looking forward to this game.”
GW will wrap up the regular season when it hosts Saint Joseph’s at noon Sunday. The Colonials will then head to Lowell, Mass., for the A-10 championship, bringing with them what Bozeman calls the two key sentiments of their season.
“[We feel] frustration and pride,” Bozeman said. “It has been a tough season but we can all say that we never quit. Never.”
