The deafening roar of some 2,000 local school children filled the Smith Center on Thursday as women’s basketball secured its 18th consecutive victory with a 52-35 win over Davidson on Field Trip Day.
The win is GW’s first since earning the No. 24 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday and its 20th win on the season. The Colonials haven’t been ranked since 2008.
“It was great to play in front of such an energetic crowd,” junior forward Jonquel Jones said. “The kids were so happy to be there and it just made you appreciate the game even more, just seeing their joy.”
Like the young fans in attendance, Jones had plenty of energy on the court, notching her 13th double-double of the season while contributing 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She shared the top-scoring spot with sophomore guard Shannon Cranshaw, who tied her career-high with four three-pointers on the day.
“We knew Davidson would zone us and that’s a credit to our post play,” Cranshaw said. “I knew that I would be open so my teammates did a really good job of getting me the ball. There were times where I didn’t even get a hand in my face, and coach Tsipis told me I had to be shot ready, so I made those adjustments in the second half.”
But while Cranshaw, who was averaging just 5.8 points per game coming into the contest, found her stride, the team as a whole could not.
For just the fourth time all season, the Colonials would finish shooting under 35 percent from the field, going 22-66 on the day despite averaging 43 percent on the season. The 52 points GW recorded were also its fewest all season, but head coach Jonathan Tsipis wasn’t worried.
“There weren’t a lot of shots today that were over-contested where they should have made an extra pass, and our kids know that. They’re still very unselfish,” Tsipis said. “I think we just have to understand that every game isn’t going to be as pretty offensively as it was the other night against George Mason.”
Defensively, however, the Colonials dominated: The team was able to hold the Wildcats to 26.3 percent shooting from the field on the day, with Davidson only hitting six of 31 in the second half.
Despite owning the Atlantic 10’s worst scoring margin, the Wildcats were shooting 32.1 percent from three-point range to the Colonials’ 28.4 percent heading into Thursday. But GW was able to shut down Davidson’s long game and hold top-scoring forwards Hannah Early and Mackenzie Latt to a combined 11 points.
“Defensively, I think we accomplished a lot of the goals we set specifically for that game,” Tsipis said. “Collectively as a team, we did a good job of guarding Hannah Early and forcing her into tough, contested shots and limiting [Davidson] to one shot, with them only having six offensive rebounds.”
Committing five turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Colonials struggled out of the gate. After taking an early 7-2 lead, GW allowed the Wildcats to get back in it and soon trailed by one midway through the frame.
But the short-lived Davidson lead would be its only one of the day as the Colonials quickly picked up their play on both ends of the court. Sophomore guard Hannah Schaible would lead her team with nine first-half points as the Colonials headed into halftime up 31-23.
A 9-0 run to begin the second half propelled GW to a 17-point lead that would not falter for the rest of the game. Schaible would be the third Colonial to finish scoring in double figures, posting 11 points and adding a game-high four steals.
“I thought [Schaible’s] energy level was outstanding,” Tsipis said. “She leads the team, if not the A-10 in floor burns and bruises because she is willing to give up her body on every single play, and I think that becomes contagious.”
Despite the lackluster shooting, the Colonials were able to assist 17 of their 22 made field goals, and win the day’s rebounding battle 47-40.
The Colonials continue their home stand Sunday at noon when they take on second-place Dayton, who they narrowly edged 69-66 in the teams’ first meeting last month.
