Updated: Nov. 15, 2015 at 11:49 a.m.
This post was written by Hatchet reporter Matt Cullen.
It was clear from the tip-off that the size and skill of the GW frontcourt was just too much for the Lady Tigers to handle, leading GW (1-0) to an 85-58 victory over Grambling State (0-1) Saturday afternoon.
Junior forward Caira Washington looked unstoppable in the first half with 20 points and eight rebounds (seven off the offensive glass) and ended the night with 23 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Kelli Prange and Jonquel Jones were also big factors in the paint, combining for 18 points and 17 rebounds while drawing a lot of attention from the GSU defense.
“We came out with a ferocious aggressiveness in the first half, we got the ball into Caira early, and we got into the press,” head coach Jonathan Tsipis said. “They had to figure out, are they going to guard Caira one-on-one, are they going to guard Jonquel one-on-one or Kelli.”
Unsurprisingly, the Colonials were able to out rebound the opposition 54-29 after having the largest rebounding margin in the country last year (13.8).
The Colonials started off very strong. In the first two minutes they were able to go on a 9-0 run through a combination of strong defense and offensive rebounding. Two steals and a block led to fast play and Washington alone was able to collect three offensive rebounds and four points during that short stretch.
Grambling State stuck to a three-two zone during the majority of the game, in hopes that they could slow down the Colonials’ inside game. Although they were able to hold Washington and Jonquel Jones to a combined three second-half points, the tight zone opened up opportunities for guards to have open shots.
During the early minutes of the second half, junior guard Shannon Cranshaw took advantage of the space and knocked down three three-pointers in four possessions, extending the GW lead to 31. In total Cranshaw went five-of-five from behind the arc, tying the second best three-point shooting performance in program history.
“Shannon had the hot hand,” Tsipis said. “We’ve got to get her more shots when she’s five-five from the three-point line. I think we got her a lot of those looks on extra passes against the zone. They were really trying to take Caira, Jonquel and Kelli away inside, and that opens some things up.”
The rest of the second half was not as clean for the Colonials, who committed 13 turnovers (23 total). Several times, GW players were unable to hold onto the ball after rebounds fell into their hands.
Some of the turnovers were the result of GW’s fast pace of play, but Grambling State also got into a full court press that disrupted the GW offense for a few possessions and allowed for easy baskets.
“I think there are certain [turnovers] I’m willing to live with when you play fast and have to throw it ahead or attack.” Tsipis said. “To score 85 points and still turn it over 23 times, that shows we played at the pace we wanted.”
For Grambling State, Yosha Watson led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, and five steals. She played the entire 40 minutes and brought the defensive energy for the Lady Tigers. Watson’s efficiency was one of the few highlights for the team; fellow starter Monisha Neal struggled all game going 0-10 from the floor.
Although the Lady Tigers trailed the entire game and were getting consistently beaten down low, they did now let up. Their aggressive defense led to 18 total steals and turned around several of GWs runs. To make up for their lack of size, GSU played an up tempo game and ended up scoring 16 fast-break points compared to GW’s seven. If it wasn’t for some good last minute play by sophomore Mia Farmer and senior Alexis Chandler, Grambling state would have outscored the Colonials in the second half.
GW showcased depth and ended up playing nine players for double-digit minutes and 12 of the 13 players were able to get on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the game, sophomore Brianna Cummings stood out. She finished with 8 points, three rebounds, three assists and a strong defensive showing, often matched up against Watson.
Ultimately, the Colonials were the better team, though Tsipis said that with the turnovers and drop off during the second half, he still has much to do.
“I’m excited to look at the film and see what not only our team can do better, but what I can do better as a coach,” Tsipis said. “I know it’s a team that is not easily satisfied and they will be excited to get back to work when we go to practice.”
The Colonials next play host to American University (0-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the Smith Center.
This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
In a photo caption, The Hatchet misspelled the name of junior guard Shannon Cranshaw. We regret this error.
