This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Alex Kist.
There’s winning, and then there’s what the Colonials did to Duquesne.
GW toppled the Dukes on Wednesday in its first game boasting a number in front of its name after climbing into the USA Today Coach’s poll at No. 24. Junior forward Jonquel Jones’ typically stellar night propelled the Colonials to an 83-56 victory.
Sophomore guard Hannah Schaible said the GW coaching staff scouted the Dukes perfectly. Facing off against the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the Atlantic 10, GW rolled out a relentless perimeter defense to compliment its always-strong rebounding game. The plan started with Duquesne’s star shooter April Robinson, who head coach Jonathan Tsipis said he wanted to give “no room to breathe.”
It worked, as Robinson was held in check with 12 points on 4-13 shooting, and the Colonials allowed only two threes on the night and forced the Dukes into 15 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“We focused a lot on chasing them off the three-point line so that they can’t even get those shots up,” Schaible said. “If we focus on having so much pressure that they don’t even feel comfortable at getting an open look, then they can’t make them because they have to push them inside.”
GW in turn stepped up its guard play, sinking five threes on 14 attempts to improve on a 0-7 night at the three-point line last time out against Rhode Island.
The ranking could have been baggage, but the Colonials had no letdown in front of the home crowd.
Jones was the leader of the charge, notching an impressive 22 points and 17 rebounds on the night, pacing both teams. She rarely missed, going 9-14 from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line.
The beatdown was relentless. GW extended its lead to as much 32 points in the second half. While the Dukes scrambled to get out of their shooting slump, GW shot nearly 50 percent from the field and converted 71.4 percent from the charity stripe on the night.
They built up points off turnovers, on second chances and off the fast break. GW had eight fast-break points going into halftime to zero for Duquesne. The guards – particularly Lauren Chase, who was responsible for six of GW’s 16 assists – were able to field the ball accurately into the posts, run coast-to-coast on transition and bring on a deep threat with pressure along the perimeter.
“They have to be in position … if they’re not going to shoot that three, to get that next best shot, if that means it’s from 17 feet,” Tsipis said. “We need them to shoot it because even if they miss, I like our chances to get on the offensive glass.”
Schaible paced the Colonials with four steals, contributing to the team’s total of 13. Coming off her second double-double of the season, Schaible amassed 13 points and one rebound Wednesday night.
For the second time in the match, GW was able to capture a 30-point lead after senior Chakecia Miller drove into the basket for a quick layup that brought the team to a 70-40 advantage. Even with sophomore forward Caira Washington on the bench after accumulating four fouls, the Colonials maintained a confident lead throughout and still out-rebounded Duquesne, though only by one at 40-39.
GW’s bench got in the game during the final minutes. Junior forward DaLacy Anderson hit the final three-pointer, freshman guard Camila Tapias added to the scoreboard with a jumper and freshman forward Mia Farmer knocked down a free throw.
The Colonials now have a number in front of their name and a player in Jones who is having entire game plans designed to stop her. But Tsipis said his mindset hasn’t changed.
“I think the understanding that it’s great for our kids. It’s great for our team. It’s great for our program,” Tsipis said. “I think the biggest part of it, I still go back to what I said when I sat on April 7, 2012 – I want to get better everyday. I told the team at practice yesterday that we had a good practice, I said, ‘Guys, I just want to go 1-0 tomorrow.’ That is the goal.”
GW next heads to Philadelphia to face La Salle on Saturday at 1 p.m.
