Final Result: GW hangs on to win 59-55 contest with UMASS.

On Alumni Day, the Revolutionaries came out a bit ragged with 4 early turnovers that hindered their offense. The Minutewomen took advantage inside the paint and as the Revs struggled, ended the 1st quarter ahead 16-13. GW could only manage 4-14 from the field and finished with 6 turnovers in the period. Neither team could get much traction to start the 2nd, but a transition 3-pointer by Engel helped GW keep it close 21-20 at the media timeout. Some timely defense and critical scores helped GW take a 29-25 lead into the half-time break. With Brown not suited up, the Revs had to go deeper into the bench, and once again Sims stepped up to propel GW to the lead with 9 points. Kulesza led UMASS with 12 points. GW’s poor shooting (9-27) prevented a bigger lead going into the 2nd half. Lok picked up her third foul as GW stumbled out of the gate in the 3rd. Hyduke sparked a UMASS rally and the Minutewomen overtook GW 37-35 at the media TO. Thanks to some strong play by freshmen Sims and Lewis, GW was able to keep pace and entered the final period tied at 46-46. At the 4:58 mark, GW led 54-52, with Buford scoring 5 of the Revs’ 8 early points. In crunch time, GW could only manage 5 points in the last 5 minutes of the game, but fortunately, the defense held UMASS to just 3 points. An and-one by Sims at the 3:00 mark was the big play during the final moments leading up to GW’s 59-55 victory. Sims led the Revs with a career-high 16 points. Kulesza, also with 16 points, led the Minutewomen.

The story of the game was GW’s bench. With Brown out, and Robertson and Lok struggling, timely contributions from Sims, Lewis (8 points), and Buford (5 points) gave GW a 33-10 advantage in bench scoring. With the game on the line, Sims and Lewis were on the floor in favor of Robertson and Lok. GW’s 17 turnovers, including 7 by Innis, helped UMASS keep the game close, but Taiwo’s 20 rebounds helped the Revs secure a 15-2 advantage in second chance points and offset another mediocre shooting day. Hyduke, in her return to the Smith Center, had a nice game, finishing with all 10 of UMASS’ bench points on 4-7 shooting in 31 minutes of play. Kudos to the squad for hanging in and finding a way to win in the final moments.

Next up is a Wednesday evening matchup at Davidson. The Wildcats have had health issues that forced cancellation of their last two games. This game may or may not take place, but it would be nice for GW to be able to get in the last two games before the start of the A10 tournament.

It was good to see the team be able to pull out a close game without making mental errors. I liked the shot selection for the most part, but much like most of the year the shots haven't gone down. Mayowa has been sensational this last stretch of games. Her hustle and extra effort will be sorely missed next year. The team would have lost today had she not played.

The emergence of Sims lately makes me feel a bit better about next year. Very impressed with her poise - she makes things happen offensively and limits unforced errors. Lewis looked a lot more controlled on offense compared to earlier in the year and seems pretty good defensively. Inniss has been shooting the three well lately as well.

The rotations have been a bit confusing all year though. Robertson not playing a ton down the stretch has been interesting the past couple of games. Buford seems to be finally fully healthy again but was sitting up until the fourth quarter. Webster starts the game, but Blethen starts the second half. It's not a problem per say (I'd rather see adjustments than no adjustments), but I don't really get it. I don't know that it helps players get in a consistent rhythm, that's all.