This post was written by Hatchet senior staff writer Alex Kist.
With both teams hovering at the top of the Atlantic 10 conference leaderboard, the Colonials put an end to No. 25 Duquesne’s 15-game winning streak to remain undefeated in conference play Sunday on the road.
Led by senior forward Jonquel Jones’ 23 points and 18 rebounds, GW (15-3, 5-0 A-10) knocked off a top-50 RPI Duquesne (16-2, 4-1 A-10) team, 70-52, to extend its winning streak to ten games.
But Jones wasn’t the only playmaker, as the Colonials employed a diverse scoring offense. Graduate student guard Lauren Chase posted 10 points and added six assists and junior guard Hannah Schaible notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Schaible also added an assist to the cause.
“In the third quarter, we were able to stay in our transition game and were able to put them on their heels,” head coach Jonathan Tsipis said. “As a staff, we felt like we could go deeper into our bench and continue to play at the same pace then maybe Duquesne could for 40 minutes. I love that part of the balance.”
Four players on the GW roster finished with 10 points or more, whereas the Dukes struggled to find their rhythm. Senior guard DevaNyar Workman paced Duquesne with 21 points, carrying the team while its star shooter, senior guard April Robinson, was shut down.
Robinson was scoreless the entire game and picked up four fouls to limit her aggressiveness. She spent 15 minutes on the bench and was tightly guarded, missing all seven of her shots from the field.
Fueled by home-court advantage, Duquesne had all the momentum at the onset of the match but struggled to hold on. The Dukes went on a 6-0 run to elevate to a 10-7 lead off a three-point make. Tsipis called a timeout and GW started to take charge. After trading points with the Dukes, Jones broke through defensive pressure and knocked down a perimeter shot. The Colonials held a 14-13 lead at the end of the first period.
The rest of the game belonged to the Colonials. Schaible kicked off the second quarter with a shot from behind the arc, igniting a 9-2 run. The Dukes were unable to convert easy looks underneath and GW capitalized on their lack of offensive efficiency.
Duquesne made only 19 of its 63 attempts in the game.
“The entire game, we were at a really consistent level from our execution on the offensive end, even if sometimes the shots didn’t go in, we took care of the ball,” Tsipis said. “Defensively, we never let the leading-scoring team in the league get into a consistent offensive rhythm.”
The Colonials led by seven at the half, but then exploded throughout third period. They played under control, committing just 11 turnovers, and got 14 second-chance points off 22 offensive rebounds as well as 19 fast break points.
GW scored in bunches, putting together runs of 11 straight points and six straight points to extend its lead to 54-38 at the end of three quarters. Workman attacked the rim, but was unable to chip away on her own.
Duquesne opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, but with less than four minutes left in regulation, Jones went on a personal 6-0 run to solidify the victory.
“This is definitely a big win for us because heading into this game, they were a top-25 team,” Chase said. “Everyone is up for the challenge to go further in post-season play than we did last year. We want to play the best teams and we are all on the same page in that accord.”
The Colonials return to action on Wednesday to host Massachusetts at 7 p.m.
