With three minutes and 19 seconds left in play, junior forward Megan Nipe stepped to the line and spun the ball in her hands. She readied, aimed, released and sunk the ball into the net, tying the game at 64.
Then, Nipe went on a solo 10-0 scoring run to close play, carrying the Colonials to their 77-66 exhibition game victory over UDC. For the forward, who was sidelined last season due to injury, her closing salvo was an important way to shake off the jitters that came with stepping back on the court.
“Considering my shooting percentage in the first half, I would have to say it felt pretty good,” Nipe said. “It was all fast breaks, pretty much, which happened to be my teammates’ doing.”
Nipe wasn’t the only Colonial with nerves Tuesday night. Head coach Mike Bozeman said his team allowed their pregame jitters to travel onto the court at first, when GW didn’t get onto the board until the third minute of play, missing open looks. The Colonials headed into halftime with a nine-point lead, after shooting 31.7 percent in the first, but returned in the second to up their shooting percentage to 44.1, finishing the game shooting 37.3 overall from the floor.
The exhibition match wasn’t only the first game of the season- it was the first contest where Bozeman got to see his plan to switch junior guard Danni Jackson to a shooting guard role, and have senior guard Kristin Aldridge shoulder responsibility at the point, in action. After the game, Jackson said she felt like the switch gave her more opportunity to shoot, scoring 19 points on the night, and Bozeman agreed.
“I’ve been watching them every day in practice, so they’ve been doing pretty well with it,” Bozeman said. “I think there are adjustments that are necessary to be made, but overall I think it is an exhibition game and they really showed the kinks to themselves that they need to work out.”
The Colonials were also paced offensively by redshirt junior forward Brooke Wilson, who added 13 points and five assists, and senior forward Tara Booker, who shot a team-high 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Booker was big in the paint at both ends of the court, setting up crucial blocks that helped GW cling to its lead during a tightly contested match.
The spread of offensive firepower across his roster is what Bozeman sees as his team’s biggest positive. It opens the door for many different match-ups and plays, he said, adding that the Colonials would be at their most potent when sidelined seniors Sara Mostafa and Tiana Myers returned to play. Mostafa, a center, was out while regaining strength after recent illness, and Myers, a guard, was recovering from a hamstring injury, but both are expected to return in time for GW’s Nov. 13 game against UT Arlington. Junior forward Shia-Heria Shipp and freshman guard Bria Bourgeois, both recovering from knee injuries, are expected to return the game after.
“I think we’ll be able to have a starting seven, I don’t know if the referees allow us to do that, but in all honesty I think it’s going to fluctuate, sometimes based on the game, the scouting,” Bozeman said. “I think these girls are a close-knit group. I don’t think it’s going to matter in terms of personalities. They’re all ready to be a one-unit team.”
The Colonials were challenged most in their ability to defend the perimeter Tuesday night, allowing 36 of UDC’s points to come from 42.9 percent trey shooting. Particularly dangerous was Firebirds senior guard Jamilia Bonner, who drained seven three-pointers that seemed to come “from the parking lot,” Bozeman said. It was the reason Bozeman said the team made the switch from a zone defense to a man-to-man effort, despite concerns about its depth off the bench with a man approach.
Confident in their offensive abilities, the Colonials are determined to match that effort defensively over their next few games. Defending the three needs to be a focus, Jackson said, as well as overall play in the backcourt. Aldridge agreed, echoing Jackson’s statements, and emphasized that the team just needed to “work out the kinks in practice.”
“We know, as a team, we’re capable of putting points on the board, we’re all pretty good shooters, so I think really, it comes down to defense and how hard we work on that end of the court,” Jackson said. “When we work hard on that end, we end up doing well on the other end.”
It’s exactly the sort of focus Bozeman expects to hear from his team. Armed with a hard-earned exhibition victory, the Colonials are ready to open their season, he said.
“Their spirits are high, the girls are very energetic, and we’re looking forward to having a positive season,” Bozeman said.
