This post was written by Hatchet reporter Agam Mittal.
What: Women’s basketball (0-1) vs. Princeton (0-1)
Where: Smith Center, Washington, D.C.
When: Sunday, Nov. 13 at noon
The Colonials will look to bounce back from their season-opening loss to cross-town rival Georgetown when they face a Princeton Tigers squad that finished 23-6 last year and became the first-ever Ivy League team to earn an at-large bid in either the men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament.
The Case for the Colonials:
The Colonials were one of the best rebounding teams in the country last season, placing first in rebounds (48.6) and second in offensive rebounds per game (18). On the other hand, the Tigers graduated four of its top five rebounders from last season’s team, and the Colonials should look to capitalize on the rebounding ability of graduate transfer Lexi Martins and senior center Caira Washington to gain second-chance opportunities.
Washington, who had a strong game in the season opener, will also look to provide an interior scoring punch for the Colonials. Against the Hoyas on Friday, she notched 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field to go along with 6 rebounds in only 24 minutes of action. Martins, who has 42 career double-doubles, can be a major factor off the bench this season.
Further, home-court advantage for GW figures to be key in this matchup, as the Colonials have won 25 of its last 27 games played at the Charles E. Smith Center, dating back to November 2014. They finished 12-2 at home last season and will look to continue the trend against a Princeton team that was 2-3 on the road in their non-conference slate last year.
With new head coach Jennifer Rizzotti offense in place, GW’s game plan for Sunday going to be an unknown that may play in the Colonials’ favor as Princeton comes off a quick turnaround following a loss to Rider on Friday. This figures to be a close game, but GW may try to slow down the pace and out-execute a young Princeton team.
The Case for the Tigers:
Despite losing a number of key contributors, Princeton was picked to finish second in the Ivy League Preseason Poll. Their sole returning starter, guard Vanessa Smith, averaged 8.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 28 games last season and looks to make a jump in her final year as a Tiger.
Princeton will hope to capitalize on their strong defense as they visit Foggy Bottom for the first time in eight years. This could spell trouble for GW, as they struggled at times in their season opener to find consistent, go-to scoring options behind Caira Washington. The Tigers have been an excellent defensive team under head coach Courtney Banghart, having finished in the top ten nationally in field goal percentage defense each of the past two seasons.
Additionally, the Tigers’ size could be a major factor, despite GW’s depth in the frontcourt. 6-4 freshman forward Bella Alarie shined in Princeton’s season opener against Rider, putting up 24 points and 7 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field and 3-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Her ability to stretch the floor and score from both inside and outside makes her a dangerous weapon and one that the Colonials will have to look out for.
If the Tigers pick up the pace, score off of turnovers and win the battle on the boards, they will make things tough for the Colonials, who allowed 22 points off turnovers in their season opening loss and were outrebounded 44-33 despite holding a size advantage.
Bottom Line:
Although both teams made the NCAA tournament last year, the Tigers graduated 71 percent of its offense last season and return only one starter. Outside of a fourth-quarter collapse, the veteran Colonials looked comfortable on offense and defense in Coach Rizzotti’s new system, and the home team should be able to overcome a younger Princeton team with many new faces.
