This post was written by Hatchet reporter Brennan Murray.

An obvious lack of communication at both ends of the court highlighted the Colonials’ defeat this afternoon.

After a heartbreaking loss to Georgetown Dec. 11, GW (5-5) failed to regain the confidence they needed to post a win against the Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds Sunday in the Smith Center.

GW shot just 36.4 percent from the field, missing all but one of their 13 three-point attempts. And though they came into Sunday’s game ranked first in the A-10 in three-point field goal defense, the Colonials uncharacteristically allowed their opponent the opportunity to thrive from beyond the arc. The Greyhounds hit 10 total triples, many wide open shots, and ended the game with a 44.7 percent overall shooting percentage.

“Coming off of a game that my team went into and thought they were going to win at Georgetown, I think there’s some layover,” head coach Mike Bozeman said. “I think I should have done a better job of preparing them to go into this game.”

GW had another challenge besides overcoming the loss to the Hoyas. The Colonials entered the game without their starting center, senior Sara Mostafa, who has been listed as out for six to eight weeks with a fractured hand.

Perhaps an indication of Mostafa’s absence was the Colonials’ defensive presence. Throughout the first half, GW had trouble finding the solid rhythm that has served as their strong point this season. Blown assignments led to numerous open shots and solid defensive sequences were few and far between for the Colonials.

Loyola took advantage of their chances, hitting nine out of their 22 first half shots, five of them coming from three-point territory. The Colonials attributed their defensive woes to a lack of communication.

“We just have to communicate better, and more often than we did tonight,” said senior guard Tiana Myers.

The second half entailed much of the same for GW. Sloppy play on offense led to five turnovers and spotty shooting kept the Colonials from keeping up with the Greyhounds’ long-range conversions. When Loyola opened up a five-point lead with 12 minutes and 38 seconds to go in the game, GW failed to get within three points of the Greyhounds for the rest of the game.

Though senior forward Tara Booker and Myers, along with junior forward Shi-Heria Hipp and junior guard Danni Jackson all recorded double-digit point totals, their combined offensive was not enough to counteract the Colonials’ struggles on the defensive side of the ball.

“You can’t have defensive breakdowns. You can’t have the seven turnovers against a team that wasn’t even pressing us with an intent to steal the ball,” said Bozeman. “We know what everybody is capable of doing, but the great teams have their players do above and beyond what they are capable of doing.”

Though the Colonials struggled all the way through the second half, they found themselves just five points down with under just one minute remaining in play. But because they were forced to foul, and the Loyola shooters hit nine of their 11 final minute free throws, GW was left with a seven-point deficit when the clock hit zero.

“It’s a catalyst for frustration,” Bozeman said. “We know that we are fully capable and we have what it takes to win a game when we are not playing at our best. We have what it takes to when a game when we are one for thirteen from three-point land.”

For the Colonials, who have games coming up this week against tough non-conference teams George Mason and William and Mary, getting back up to the level of confidence they had before the Georgetown game will be an important step to take.

“We have to get back to doing the things that built their confidence up in the first place,” Bozeman said. “We’re going to get back to our general practice where we go at it and compete and where the girls get that same fire of competition in practice competing for time.”

The Colonials are back in action Thursday in Fairfax, Va. as they take on George Mason.