This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Nora Princiotti.

WHO: GW (19-8,10-4) vs St. Bonaventure (21-8,10-4)
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Reilly Center

The Colonials hit the road for the final time this season with their destiny in their own hands. Beating St. Bonaventure on Wednesday would guarantee the team a top-four spot in the Atlantic 10 standings and an automatic double-bye into the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament. Lose, and it will take missteps from other teams for the Colonials to do so.

Case for St. Bonaventure:

The Colonials’ hunt for their 20th win will run up against a staunch St. Bonaventure defense Wednesday. GW has lost tough games to and been rattled by similarly efficient teams, such as Fordham and La Salle – the two other top team defenses in the A-10, along with the Bonnies.

Though the Bonnies are a defensive team, GW will have to contain the A-10’s third-best scorer in Katie Healey. The forward has averaged nearly 18 points per game in league play and will go head-to-head with GW’s strong frontcourt.

The Bonnies don’t have an explosive offense to surround Healey with. In fact, they score the least points per game of any A-10 team with a winning record. But they make their shots – the Bonnies shoot a league-best 46 percent from the field.

St. Bonaventure is undefeated in the Reilly Center since conference play and will be looking to hold serve again at home against a surging GW team.

Case for the Colonials:

GW’s frontcourt pair of Caira Washington and Jonquel Jones have been trading hot games back and forth, though Washington has said that they’re capable of going off in the same game if they play smart. This may be the game to do that. The Colonials top rebounding offense, averaging more than 47 rebounds per game, should dominate the smaller, league-worst St. Bonaventure team that averages just over 33.

The Colonials dish out nearly 17 assists per game, good enough for top spot in the A-10, compared to just 10 for the Bonnies – second worst in the conference. With GW controlling the boards, guards like Danni Jackson, who has already eclipsed 500 career assists as a Colonial, should look to find passing lanes inside.

GW should look to rely on its bench to put them over the top Wednesday. Both teams have four players averaging in double digits, but the next five players are contributing more than 31 points per game for the Colonials, while the St. Bonaventure counterparts are putting up just 17.

GW additionally has momentum on its side, entering the game riding a three-game winning streak, while St. Bonaventure has lost two of its last four.