Updated: Dec. 4, 2016 at 4:21 p.m.
This post was written by Hatchet reporter Barbara Alberts.
Women’s basketball (7-2, 1-0 A10) marched to another solid victory over the Fighting Illini (3-5) at the Smith Center Sunday, picking up its fourth win in a row.
GW stormed past Illinois 72-56 in a game where every Colonial saw minutes on the court and the team went 16-for-16 from the stripe – a place where they’ve previously had trouble picking up points.
“We have been playing pretty well and defending our home court,” head coach Jennifer Rizzotti said. “Getting a good win over a Big 10 opponent doesn’t hurt.”
The Colonials opened the game by continuing the offensive push from their game against VCU, on Friday
Sophomore combo-guard Mei-Lyn Bautista struck first for the Colonials with a beautiful three-point shot, the beginning of a strong showing by GW.
Senior guard Hannah Schaible and graduate transfer Lexi Martins also both picked up where they left off in the win over the Rams.
Schaible was fast out of the gate, dropping six points and grabbing two steals, while Martins came off the bench with confidence, snatching four rebounds and dropping nine points in the first quarter, including a beautiful three-point shot.
Schaible’s scrappy play resulted in a team-best 14 points, three rebounds and two steals in the game.
“I want the ball, I wear my kneepads, that’s how I bring the energy,” Schaible said.
GW’s defense was airtight. The Illini were 0-for-4 from beyond the arc before Illinois’ freshman guard Brandi Beasly dropped the first three of the day for the visitors roughly seven minutes into the second quarter. The Colonials held Illinois’ standout sophomore forward Alex Wittinger to just four points in the half.
Illinois scored in spurts but could not keep up a consistent offense. The Colonials’ sizeable height difference under the hoop in senior forward Caira Washington helped contribute 12 points in the paint for GW in the half. Sharpshooting from GW saw the team hit 5-for-10 from beyond the arc and 44.8 percent from the field overall in the half.
The Illini picked up only six points in the paint heading into the break, and shot 31 percent from the field.
Junior forward Kelli Prange hit a buzzer-beating three from nearly half-court to close out the frame, with GW leading 41-25. The 6-foot-5-inch forward contributed eight points and five boards on the day, including 2-for-4 from long.
“I definitely take advantage of the versatility that I bring to the game of basketball,” Prange said.
Washington opened the third quarter crashing the boards in her usual aggressive fashion, picking up six points out of the gate and one block. A Washington-Prange combo under the hoop stifled any chances the Illini had in the paint, and a swarming Colonial defense forced two shot clock violations and held the visitors to just seven points.
Washington totaled a near double-double with 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds against the Orange and Blue.
After heading into the fourth quarter with a comfortable 60-32 lead, Rizzotti rested her starters and emptied her bench.
Freshman guards Kendall Bresee and Harper Birdsong, along with sophomore forward Kelsie Mahoney, all helped close out the game, contributing seven of the 22 bench points in the game.
Despite the Illini picking up 24 points in the final quarter, the Colonials were still able to handily put the game away.
Three Colonials scored in double digits, including junior guard Brianna Cummings, who recorded 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The team ended the day shooting 40 percent from the field and scoring 19 second-chance points to the Illini’s three.
“We’re working really hard to make our offense all-inclusive and tough to guard with a bunch of different options,” Rizzotti said.
The Colonials hit the road this week, visiting American University Wednesday night with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
