Women’s basketball (9-14, 2-9 A-10) ended their six-game losing streak Wednesday, taking down St. Bonaventure (4-18, 1-10 A-10) 69-48.
The Revs entered the game with just one win in conference play — a 78-62 January takedown of the Bonnies, the second-lowest rank in the division and one behind GW. Fourteenth in the conference in scoring, up to Wednesday, the Revs have struggled on offense, averaging just 57.9 points per game.
“I think we all think that we’re underperforming right now,” graduate student guard Essence Brown said. “So just to get a win, and it be an effort-win, and it was really like a team effort today. So that pushes us forward.”
The Bonnies got out to a hot start, building an 11-4 lead five minutes in behind three 3-pointers. St. Bonaventure’s offensive production was short-lived, however, as they only notched 7 more points in the half. Graduate student forward Mayowa Taiwo was key in anchoring the Revs’ defense, recording four steals in the first quarter alone. She finished with eight on the night, a new career high. The quarter ended with the Revs trailing 13-9.
Taiwo stuffed the stat sheet, bringing down 15 rebounds, scoring 9 points and dishing four assists on top of her career defensive night.
“She’s such a floor general out there but from a different position than the point guard, as she’s under the basket,” Head Coach Caroline McCombs said about Taiwo. “And so it’s unique to see the way that she’s able to find her teammates. She’s an elite defender. I’ve always known that about her. I think everybody knows that about her.”
The defensive dominance that ended the first quarter continued into the second, with the Bonnies scoring just 2 points in the first nine minutes. Three-pointers from junior forward Maxine Engel and sophomore guard Nya Robertson, both assisted by Taiwo, cemented a 25-15 GW lead with 1:33 left in the half. A 3-pointer from St. Bonaventure junior guard Isabellah Middleton ended their scoring drought, bringing their halftime deficit to 7.
“I think it’s a little easier because you already have a game plan, and then you fix upon things that you missed the first time,” Taiwo said on playing the Bonnies the second time. “We really locked in on trying to take away baseline drives and take away their shooters. And I definitely think we did better taking away baseline drives.”
The second half opened with graduate student guard Nya Lok scoring on four of GW’s first six possessions, quickly collecting 9 of her 18 points. Strong offense from the Revs allowed them to extend their lead in the third quarter, entering the last period up 46-34.
Notably, the Revs shot 43.5 percent from the field, compared to the team’s 37.2 average. The Revs also held strong on defense, allowing just 28.9 percent shooting from the Bonnies and forcing 23 turnovers.
“I think we really want to be in our gaps on their drives,” McCombs said. “And I thought we were able to get some gap steals in that way. And then the important thing is converting them because we haven’t always done that. And so really turning those steals into points for us was important.”
GW extended its lead again in the fourth, notching 23 points, their highest-scoring quarter. It was also the Revs’ most efficient shooting quarter, as they connected on eight of 15 shots.
The Revs travel to take on the University of Richmond on Sunday at 1 p.m., looking to avenge their 66-70 loss in late December.
