With just under five minutes to play and GW holding to a 64-55 lead over Dayton, 5-foot-5 guard Lauren Chase emerged from a scrum underneath the basket to corral a defensive rebound. Chase raced all the way to the other end, where she met 6-foot-5 Flyers center Saicha Grant-Allen at the rim. Chase acrobatically flipped the ball up onto the glass with some English while getting knocked to the ground, and the ball fell through the net.
The graduate guard’s coast-to-coast take was part of a performance where she scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds while committing zero turnovers in women’s basketball’s 72-62 win Sunday afternoon.
Chase’s pace and control of the game made her an indispensible asset on the floor, particularly with the Colonials having to contend with Dayton’s massive frontcourt. Head coach Jonathan Tsipis has said all year that he wants to push the ball and get out in transition, and Chase certainly obliged.
“When I’m running [in transition], I know my teammates are right there with me,” Chase said. “We always have that mindset of getting out in transition first because it sets the tone for the game.”
In addition to Chase’s strong performance, the Colonials were anchored by 16 points and six rebounds from sophomore forward Kelli Prange, as well as 13 points and seven big rebounds from sophomore guard Brianna Cummings.
Although the Colonials lost the rebounding battle for the first time all year, 
The guard rebounding was a large reason for coach Tsipis deciding to go small using multiple four-guard lineup variations throughout the second half.
“We had to have all five people rebounding every time,” Tsipis said. “Even when we have Mei-Lyn Bautista, Shannon Cranshaw and Lauren Chase all in the game at the same time.”
“Even when they forced us into some rotations where we might have had a guard going against a post, I think our guards still did a fantastic job of keeping the post player off the glass.”
Despite the Valentine’s Day atmosphere in the Smith Center, the Colonials certainly didn’t show the Flyers’ frontcourt any love. Dayton’s bigs would be frustrated all game, as Saicha Grant-Allen scored just three points after the first quarter, and Cornelie-Sigmundova managed 11 points on eight shot attempts and mustered only four rebounds.
The combination of Caira Washington, Prange, and DaLacy Anderson harassed the Flyers’ frontcourt all game, and the rotation of the three players kept each of them fresh.
Anderson provided seven big points off the bench, including a three to give GW a 58-44 lead, its largest of the game at that time. Similarly, Prange turned the tide when the Colonials trailed 11-5 early, dropping a three-pointer that would spark a 13-4 run to end the quarter.
“With the post group, we really focus on getting out in front and ‘three-quartering’ them in the post,” Prange said of the interior defense. “They got some good touches down low, but with everything we worked on and knowing what Dayton wanted to do, we were able to hold them in check.”
GW’s bench outscored the Flyers 25-2, and the Colonials capitalized for 23 points off of 20 Dayton turnovers. Despite having nine giveaways in the first half, Tsipis’ team committed just three turnovers in the second half.
Both teams were consistent in attacking the rim, with Dayton shooting 2-18 from the free throw line and GW going 16-20 from the charity stripe.
GW moved to 11-1 at home, and moved back into a tie for first in the A-10 with Duquesne after improving to 11-1 in conference play. The Colonials have won nine straight games at the Smith Center.
“I think it’s really fun to coach a team that understands that each game is going to be different,” said Tsipis. “I’m really proud of the effort and the sense of urgency. Watching the growth of some of the kids on our team has been just amazing.”
The Colonials will hit the road again as they get set to take on St. Bonaventure in New York on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
