The GW women’s basketball team won its 15th straight home game in record-breaking fashion at the Smith Center on Sunday, beating St. Bonaventure 97-42. The Colonials racked up 34 assists on the day, a new single-game Atlantic 10 record.
It was the Colonials’ (12-5, 5-1 A-10) largest margin of victory this season. GW shot 63.2 percent from the field, as five players finished in double figures.
Freshman Sarah-Jo Lawrence, who scored 14 points off the bench, said the home crowd helped fuel the dominant performance. The Colonials have not lost at home all season.
“We’re undefeated for a long time at home, so we have that intensity,” Lawrence said. “We’re not going to let anyone come in here and beat us.”
Everyone seemed to contribute to the Colonials’ win, as bench players scored 35 points. Both sophomore Corinne Turner and freshman Sarah-Jo Lawrence notched season highs, scoring 10 and 14 points, respectively.
The Bonnies could not maintain control for most of the game, and GW took advantage of their mistakes. They had 23 turnovers, which the Colonials converted into 33 points.
GW took an early lead, going on an 11-2 run in the game’s first six minutes, and the Bonnies could not catch up. St. Bonaventure did not come close the rest of the way. And when GW went on an 11-0 run in the last four minutes of the half, doubling their opponent’s score 48-24, the game was effectively over.
The Colonials finished the game as strong as they started, outscoring the Bonnies 49-18. GW scored 67.8 percent in the second half, while St. Bonaventure an abysmal 19.4 percent.
Freshman standout Kimberly Beck, who won her third Rookie of the Week honor, is the league leader in assists per game with 4.81. She recorded a career high of nine assists on Sunday.
After the dominant win over St. Bonaventure, Beck said her team has more confidence going into Thursday’s game against Temple on the road.
“We build up momentum, and everyone’s feeling good right now,” she said. “We played well two games in a row. This wasn’t just a win. We played well and won.”
GW head coach Joe McKeown said the Colonials and the Owls have battled through close, competitive games for the past few years.
“They separated themselves from the east, and that’s our goal in the west,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough game, but it will be a fun game.”
