This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Josh Solomon.
Who: GW (13-5, 4-1) vs. Saint Joe’s (14-4, 3-2)
Where: Smith Center
When: Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m.
Head coach Jonathan Tsipis is preparing for another “classic” Atlantic 10 matchup between the two most winning programs in the conference history. Both have won 319 A-10 games, but the Lady Hawks have the edge against the Colonials, 29-25.
“I think the number one thing is they’re going to have revenge on their mind. We’re going to have to be great defensively and I think that’s the biggest part of it,” Tsipis said.
Case for Saint Joe’s:
There are three main ways that their revenge would come into fruition.
First, look for Erin Shields and Sarah Fairbanks to have better games this time around and lead their team to an even closer game. The two leading scorers for Saint Joe’s did not turn out their best performances. Shields, who averages 15.2 points per game, scored 11 points on 1-8 shooting. Meanwhile, Fairbanks made just 1-5 of her shots from the field, for four points. Both players were in foul trouble for the majority of the game.
Second, the Lady Hawks will likely not let sophomore Jonquel Jones light them up again for 21 points and 14 rebounds. Jones led the post presence in the last matchup, but Saint Joe’s may force the ball out into the hands of shooters this time around.
Since the loss, the Lady Hawks have won three of their last four, including a 64-52 victory over La Salle in their last contest. Four different players were in double figures, headed by Fairbanks with 16 points. They had 18 assists compared to just 10 turnovers and forced the Explorers to shoot a mere 32.3 percent from the field, including 3-15 from behind the arc.
Case for GW:
It would make sense that if the Colonials can beat Saint Joe’s on the road, without Megan Nipe, then they should be able to take care of them at home with their star shooter in the lineup. Things don’t always go that easily, though.
GW will need to control the ball and avoid turnovers if they hope to earn the season sweep of the Lady Hawks. With a strong game from point guard, graduate student Danni Jackson – who will be in charge of handling the ball and controlling the pace – then the Colonials should fare well. In the last matchup, GW’s assists-to-turnover ratio was minus five. Even at that, they still pulled off the win.
A big part of that win: their domination of the glass, 49-37. But the Colonials did not win the points in the paint battle (26-32) and just barely won the second-chance points category (12-10). What they did do was make seven threes and shoot 45.8 percent from the field in the second half – things that would certainly help them this time around as well.
Expect Nipe, if fully healthy, to finally have a productive game in her third game back from injury. A focus on Jones and freshman Caira Washington, who also posted a double-double last time, will likely open up GW’s three point shooting. Role players, like sophomores Alexis Chandler and Aaliyah Brown, could also sneak in a major game if the attention is focused on the frontcourt.
