This post was written by Hatchet reporter Matt Cullen.
What: Women’s basketball (5-2) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (3-3)
Where: Smith Center, Washington D.C.
When: Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
The Colonials return home after a five-game road stretch that featured GW’s first two losses of the year. In the team’s last game on Saturday, the Colonials were unable to hold a double-digit lead late in the second half against Wright State, ultimately falling 77-71.
The Eagles are also coming into the game off a loss, theirs at the hands of Arkansas State at home. They have not yet lost on the road after beating Akron, Florida International University, and North Carolina A&T on each of their home courts.
The last time these two sides met was in the very first game of last season. Despite 24 points and 10 rebounds from then freshman forward Kelli Prange, Florida Gulf Coast was able to win 88-75.
Here’s what to expect from the game:
Case for the Colonials: The Colonials (unranked for the first time this season) are trying to power their way back into the top 25 teams, and the frontcourt for the Colonials is still one of the best in the nation and always what to watch for.
Senior forward Jonquel Jones just won her second straight A-10 player of the week award and is dominating the boards. Alongside Jones, junior forward Caira Washington is averaging 15.7 points per game and is tough to handle when defenses rotate over to stop Jones.
As if two was not enough, GW boasts a third key contributing forward in Prange. She was able to score 19 in the loss to Wright State and showed her consistency as both an inside scorer and a shooter.
Due to a foot injury to FGCU redshirt senior Whitney Knight, the Eagles do not have anybody on the active roster over 6-feet tall and struggle to get offense going through the post. Look for the GW bigs to dominate the game on both sides of the court and for the Colonials to score inside the paint.
Case for the Eagles: Since the inception of the women’s basketball program in 2002, FGCU has never lost 10 games in a season. Last year was no different.
The 2014-2015 Eagles had an amazing 31-3 record including a 26-game winning streak that earned them a No. 20 ranking and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Despite losing their top scorer, Florida Gulf Coast returns all four of its other starters including senior guard Kaneisha Atwater, who currently leads the team with 15 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
Having already lost the same amount of games they dropped all last year, expect the senior-led Eagles to come out on a mission to turn around their season and make it back to the tournament.
Bottom Line: The Colonials frontcourt should be just too much for the Eagles to handle, but don’t count them out, especially if the Colonials don’t shoot well in the game. FGCU is an experienced and talented team and has a good shot at a road win if Jones and Washington cannot take advantage down low.
