This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Marty Fenn.
What: Women’s basketball (7-3) vs. Iona (5-6)
Where: The Smith Center, Washington, D.C.
When: 12 p.m. EST
The Colonials are looking to kick off the holiday season with a win against Iona after consecutive victories over Memphis and Villanova. Both of those wins were of the comeback variety, with GW erasing a 16-point margin against the Tigers and using a 17-2 run to down the Wildcats.
The case for the Colonials: It should come as no surprise to opponents as to why senior Jonquel Jones is on the watch list for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award. The reigning conference player of the year has the best rebounding average in the nation, at 15.8 per game, while leading the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring at 18.2 points per contest.
Jones’ superb play has kept the Colonials afloat in the midst of their recent shooting woes, but the team has gotten back on the winning track because she has had help.
Graduate student guard Lauren Chase erupted for 21 points against Villanova, and bolstered her point total with an efficient six assists and just one turnover. Meanwhile, junior forward Caira Washington bounced back with a big double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Colonials outrebounded the Wildcats 46-26, and should again have the advantage off the glass against Iona. Iona is primarily reliant on the play of their guards, and they don’t have much of a consistent inside presence. The onus will once again fall on Jones and Washington to dominate inside, while Chase, junior guard Shannon Cranshaw, and sophomore guard Brianna Cummings will have to pace the GW backcourt.
The Gaels have few means to stop GW, as they don’t possess much size to combat Jones and Washington, and don’t shoot the ball particularly well from downtown, hitting just 26.9 percent of their threes.
The case for the Gaels: To their credit, the Gaels have rallied very well from a start in which they lost their first four games, going 5-2 in their past seven games. They seem to have found their stride after struggling against teams like Yale and USC.
A win over Saint Joseph’s already gives them one victory over an A-10 team, which could give them fuel against a Colonial team that has been prone to very slow starts. Additionally, opponents average only 60.5 points against the Gaels, shooting just 37.9 percent from the field in the process. If the Gaels get big scoring production from guards Marina Lizarazu and Aaliyah Robinson and get defensive help inside against Jones and Washington, they could sneak away with a win against another A-10 team.
The bottom line: The Colonials have shown proficiency for resolve in their two comeback wins, and they are starting to get bigger production from Washington, which makes them a scary team to play moving forward, but the team will need to make shots against a tough Iona defense.
