What: Women’s basketball (29-4 last year) vs. Grambling State (10-20 last year)
When: Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.
Where: Smith Center
The GW women’s team comes into the season with a huge target on its back. Although the NCAA tournament did not go as planned, an Atlantic 10 Championship, 29-4 record, a No. 21 ranking, and returning all five of their top scorers leads to high expectations for the Colonials. They are not sneaking up on anyone anymore, and everyone wants to beat them.
Even before all that, when these teams met early last season, it was smooth sailing for the Colonials. They were able to defend the home court by defeating Grambling State 89-51 behind an impressive night from then-freshman Kelli Prange (23 points, six rebounds, and 81 percent shooting from the field). That game kicked off GW’s longest winning streak in 7 years, spanning more than two months with 19 victories in a row.
This is the opening game of the season for both sides.
Here’s what to expect from the game:
The case for Grambling State:The Tigers have not had a winning record in over a decade, but they have been steadily improving since a miserable 2-26 season in 2008. They won five of their last 11 conference games last season, improving their regular-season home record to 8-4.
Grambling State is returning three of their top five scorers from last year including senior forward Yosha Watson. Watson led the team last season, averaging 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, and almost two assists per game. The only player to display constant scoring ability, the Tigers are going to run the offense through her all season long.
The Tigers will likely fill their backcourt with returning starters, sophomore guard Bre’Nae Andrews, sophomore guard Monisha Neal and senior guard Chanta Poole. Andrews is the only legitimate 3-point threat in the starting lineup after knocking down 32 percent of her 125 attempts in her freshman campaign. Neal and Poole will both bring the ball up the court and look to facilitate the game off the dribble.
Look for GSU to play fast and run the floor as fast as they can with their small lineup and quick guards. Fast break points were one of the few statistical categories that Grambling State led in the last matchup.
The case for GW:The Colonials boast one of the most impressive frontcourts in the entire country. The trio of Jonquel Jones, Caira Washington, and Kelli Prange combined to average 35.6 points, 26 rebounds, and three blocks per game last season.
Jones, Washington, and Prange are tough for any team to handle, but Grambling State is going to have a particularly hard time. Their lack of size and inside presence is their biggest weakness. With only one player over 6-feet compared to GW’s five it is going to be a challenge for the Tigers forwards to get anything going inside.
The Colonials also come into this game as the much more experienced and deep team. They go about 8-9 players deep in each game and with only two freshman, the majority of the team has experienced winning, losing and playing on a big stage at the college level.
Other than their returning starters, Grambling State don’t have much experience at all. They are going to look for several newcomers to contribute because they come into the season with half their roster as freshman.
Bottom Line: Expect GW to come out with the win. After last year’s early loss in the NCAA tournament, the Colonials are hungry to get back. With GW’s talent and experience up and down the roster it is hard to see Grambling State winning this game.
