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GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
Next up: Coppin State University Eagles
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
Time: December 10, 2024; 6 PM (ET)
Venue: Charles E Smith Center - Washington, DC
2023-24 Record: 12-18 (8-6 in MEAC – 4th Place)
2025 Projection: 3rd
Current Record: 6-5
Common Opponents: Howard, Morgan State
Last Time Out: 55-41 loss to GW in 2023-24 (at GW)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: It’s back to OOC for GW with a visit from the Coppin State Eagles at the Smith Center on Tuesday evening. Like Howard, Coppin State is in the upper tier of the MEAC, projected for a 3rd place finish in the conference. The Eagles have the toughest OOC schedule in all of the MEAC, with losses to the likes of Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, but also a significant win against Arizona State. Leading the way for Coppin State is Laila Lawrence, a MEAC preseason All-MEAC 1st Team selection, and Angel Jones, who was named to the preseason 2nd Team. Lawrence, who is also the MEAC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, comes into the game averaging 17.6 ppg and 9.3 rpg, with Jones adding 16.0 ppg. Tiffany Hammond, another veteran returning from last year’s squad, chips in with 8.5 ppg. As a team, the Eagles score 62 ppg, while allowing 67.8 ppg. They shoot 38.8% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is .8.
About the game: After the George Mason debacle, GW tries to regroup against a solid MEAC team. GW will have to rely on the defense to keep the score manageable by controlling Lawrence, who is capable of big games, as demonstrated by her 27-point outburst against Arizona State this past Friday. GW Also has to be mindful of the Eagles’ backcourt, as Jones, Hammond, and reserve Niyah Gaston have combined for 44-138 on 3-point attempts so far this year. If GW can limit Coppin State’s second chance points and points-off-turnovers, they can make this a game. Offensively, the Revs have to take care of the ball, as Coppin State is likely to press GW’s young backcourt. Once they clear the halfcourt, they have to slow down, be more deliberate, work for clean open looks, and reduce the number of empty trips to their basket. Thus far, no individual has shown a lot of consistency scoring for GW, so a balanced spread of points is essential. This maybe too much to ask for all at once, but any signs of improvement going forward will be encouraging.
In GMU game’s post-game presser, McCombs alluded to having three freshmen (Reynolds, Diala, and Morgan) on the court because it was important for the younger players to get minutes, and in doing so, GW would have to “take their lumps”. Adding Lewis, Sims, and Calisto to the mix, it’s clear that expectations for this team may have been too high too soon. A common factor among the better A10 teams has been continuity, as these teams are all led by a group of 4th and 5th year players that have played together for multiple years. If GW is to achieve this level of continuity in the coming years, portal activity notwithstanding, it will start with the current core group of young players. Hopefully, as we get closer to the end of the OOC and continue to endure the growing pains, the coaching staff will give us a few things to be optimistic about, starting with the Coppin State game.
- xAC
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Re: GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
Final Result: GW falls in overtime to Coppin State 64-61.
New look starting 5 for GW: Andrews, Lewis, Mott, Planes Fortuny and Reynolds. The Revs started out under control, made good passes, and took advantage of their inside game to take a 10-5 lead into them media timeout. The GW offense stalled after the timeout, missing a few opportunities due to some errant open shots and turnovers. For Coppin, Jones had a hot streak to stake the Eagles to a 16-13 lead going into the 2nd period. The teams traded scores to open the 2nd quarter, but CSU managed to increase the lead to 23-19 at the 4:38 mark. A surprise entry for GW, Sierra-Vargas, sparked the Revs to overcome the Eagles 3-point shooting and knot the game at 29-all going into the half. At this point, Lewis led GW with 9 points, followed by 8 points from Mott. Jones led the Eagles with 8 points. GW shot 46.2%, but was held scoreless from beyond the arc (0-4). 10 GW turnovers gave CSU a 9-4 advantage on points off turnovers. GW struggled to make shots early in the 3rd quarter and fell behind, but again, sparked by Sierra Vargas, found their stride to make a 10-2 run and take a 41-39 lead with 2:42 left in the period. CSU came out of the timeout in a zone defense, and without an outside offense, GW could only manage a single bucket in the final moments of the period. A desperation 3-point bank shot at the buzzer gave the Eagles a 44-43 lead heading into the final quarter. Scoring was scarce for both teams to start the final period, but GW’s defense held the Eagles at bay, allowing the Revs to take a 51-50 lead into the final 4 minutes of the game. GW was again stymied by the zone defense, but Engel’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in the game tied it at 54-all, making way for GW’s first OT of the season. The Eagles poise showed up in the OT, and while GW raced out to the first 5 points of the period, they could not sustain their offense in the 64-61 loss to Coppin state. Reynolds led GW with 13 points and Sara Lewis had an 11/10 double-double. Lawrence finished with 21 points for CSU, followed by 11 points from Angel Jones.
This was a good response from the Revs after the pounding they took from George Mason. Although GW still committed too many turnovers, some occurred after good intentions (like the three travels called on Lewis as she was driving to the basket). For 3 quarters, the Revs found open lanes and were successful inside. Things got harder when Coppin went into their zone, so GW has to find some answers for that. As far as the rotation goes, it’s anybody’s guess. Almost everyone played, walk-on Sierra-Vargas had a career game that helped to keep GW in it till the end, and Andrews didn’t play at all at the end of the game. The good thing is that the Revs seem to have a lot of players that have valuable proficiencies. Now they need to sort out the right combinations. The younger Revs seemed a bit anxious in overtime, and the Eagles seemed poised. Not surprising given the makeup of the two teams. Hate to lose, but there were some good things that came out of this game.
Next up is a winless American University team. Better be ready.
Last edited by xAC (12/11/2024 8:07 am)
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Thread Starter- dmvpiranha
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Re: GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
Same old story. WBB was better with the turnovers ("only" 19 turnovers in regulation, fewer were outright awful) and there were some nice moments moving the ball. Coppin WBB isn't terrible like their MBB team is but this is still a game that shouldn't be lost at home. 12 total free throw attempts isn't going to get it done.
One moment that stands out is the possession at the end of the first quarter. About a two second difference between shot clock and game clock. Most teams would be running the clock down before making a move late. Yet, GW is running the offense early in the possession and turns it over, giving Coppin a good look for a final shot. On top of that, the team failed to box out with less than a second left and gave CSU two FTs. In a close game, that makes all the difference.
It just feels like McCombs is throwing things at a wall to see what sticks. What is this rotation?? Natalia Sierra-Vargas was a real bright spot - pesky on defense and looking up the court to try and move the offense. The fact that a walk-on is outplaying the scholarship players (even if some are young) is not good though. After the game Matthews had against Mason, five minutes and zero shot attempts. I'm convinced at this point that even with the transfers, McCombs is making them worse given how they performed at their previous spots. Did Makayla get hurt or is she in the doghouse after playing just 15 minutes? She tends to have her pocket picked at times when dribbling but as one of the few players on the team who can actually make a shot consistently (the midrange) she needs to be on the court as much as possible. Calisto also only 5 minutes today. There is no rhyme or reason for anything McCombs does. How can players get into a rhythm with random rotations? Nothing wrong with going deeper but it has to make sense.
xAC wrote:
In GMU game’s post-game presser, McCombs alluded to having three freshmen (Reynolds, Diala, and Morgan) on the court because it was important for the younger players to get minutes, and in doing so, GW would have to “take their lumps”. A common factor among the better A10 teams has been continuity, as these teams are all led by a group of 4th and 5th year players that have played together for multiple years. If GW is to achieve this level of continuity in the coming years, portal activity notwithstanding, it will start with the current core group of young players. Hopefully, as we get closer to the end of the OOC and continue to endure the growing pains, the coaching staff will give us a few things to be optimistic about, starting with the Coppin State game.
I'm sorry, McCombs is just making excuses. If this was year 2 or even year 3, I'd give her a pass but she is in year 4 now. Last year's team had so much continuity and we saw how that turned out. There's simply no evidence that players are getting better. Is it possible that Sims or Lewis could develop a three point shot before they graduate? Sure, but history does not suggest that they get better under this current staff.
I didn't realize until recently that Bart Torvik started doing rankings for WBB teams too (rankings go back to 2020-21). GW is currently 219th, 252nd on offense, and 182nd on defense. The 2023 team with Mia and Jayla was 142nd on offense and 145th overall but that seems like an outlier. Even the Stony Brook squad that McCombs took to the NCAA tournament was 211th on offense. Either she doesn't recruit good offensive players or doesn't run effective stuff. How did this team put up 78 against Delaware in regulation? Almost all her teams have played slow. If she is going to play everyone that's healthy like she did today, maybe ramp up the tempo a bit. It could just help the offense. Then again, this team is turning it over 20+ times a game playing slow.
Next up is a road game against American. They are one of the worst teams in the country so if GW can't win that it's time to push the panic button.
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Re: GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
- xAC
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Re: GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
DMV is right in asserting the continuity of last year’s team, but they weren’t McCombs recruits (which is irrelevant), and more importantly that group (as freshmen and sophomores) had a low ceiling as far as potential goes compared to the current squad. And despite the lack of continuity, this current team’s offense seems better than last year.
There are bigger problems. Ignoring the X’s and O’s for now, there have been two weaknesses on the recruiting side that really hurt this team: (1) GW has failed to recruit a post player that can be a consistent inside scoring threat. The last one I can remember was Caira Washington. The crop of portal recruits (Durant, Mott, Planes Fortuny) has only been adequate (both offensively and defensively), and the high school recruits (Loving and Parnell) have not shown a lot of promise. This has made the offense one dimensional and much easier for the opposition to defend. (2) GW has not had a great ball handler and playmaker under McCombs. Mei-Lyn Bautista was the last, and although not a big scorer, she could break down a defense without turning the ball over and make a timely pass or basket. Under McCombs, ball handling has been only average and susceptible to turnovers. With the exception of Lakstigala, the portal has not really panned out for GW. It’s not clear what the Revs recruiting strategy is, but the emphasis should be placed on acquiring complements and not clones.
There’s no question that this coaching regime is on the hot seat. Is there too much to fix in too little time? I guess we’ll see. But I’m pulling for them, because I dread another mass exodus to the portal and total restart.
Last edited by xAC (12/11/2024 2:04 pm)
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Thread Starter- dmvpiranha
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Re: GW versus Coppin State University Game Thread
DMV is right in asserting the continuity of last year’s team, but they weren’t McCombs recruits (which is irrelevant), and more importantly that group (as freshmen and sophomores) had a low ceiling as far as potential goes compared to the current squad.
I agree, but during that time McCombs should have been looking to the future given the low ceiling of the returners. Outside of Robertson, which freshmen were being developed? Starting to do so in year 4 is a bit late. There should already be a sustainable culture built at this point.
And despite the lack of continuity, this current team’s offense seems better than last year.
If we are going off potential I agree 100% based on the team personnel. However, the analytics don't seem to match that. Torvik has GW ranked around the same offensively. The offensive efficiency is actually lower than last year but it's early.
xAC makes a lot of good points about the recruiting. For 1), I don't know if the problem is with the Durant/Mott/Planes Fortuny group or the coaching staff getting them the ball. Half of Durant's year was wasted because McCombs couldn't realize that she can't share the floor with Taiwo. Mott/Planes Fortuny were fairly accomplished players prior to GW. I'm not sure how much better WBB could have done in the portal. Even players like Loving have actually looked pretty good on the court this year but between random rotations leading to inconsistent playing time and not consistently getting them the ball they haven't been able to play to their ability. Parnell may suddenly get 20 minutes against AU, play well, and then disappear for the following several games. This falls on the staff.
As for 2), I definitely think a true point guard could serve this team well, however based on the system that McCombs runs, it doesn't really require a true playmaker with all the dribble handoffs. The execution could definitely be better. Whitney had some moments a few years ago although I think that may have been under Rizzotti.
With the exception of Lakstigala, the portal has not really panned out for GW. It’s not clear what the Revs recruiting strategy is, but the emphasis should be placed on acquiring complements and not clones.
This is perhaps the biggest key point. Lakstigala and Thornton could both shoot the ball, something that none of the other McCombs teams have been able to do consistently. Even last year, at least the Nyas were around to space the floor and Asjah became a threat. Who is that player on this year's squad? Cramped spacing is making it harder on the bigs going back to point #1. Mott/Diala/Loving feels redundant. Planes Fortuny I guess can space the floor a bit which is a little different.
Coming into the year, I think we all saw the roster and wondered where the shooting was going to come from. Andrews had no history of shooting the 3 well at Lafayette. Perhaps too much pressure is being placed on the young players (Sims, Lewis, Reynolds) to suddenly emerge. Maybe Calisto was supposed to take the Lok role? But again, because of the rotations no one is able to get into a rhythm. Matthews and Engel have potential, but need consistent minutes.
There’s no question that this coaching regime is on the hot seat. Is there too much to fix in too little time? I guess we’ll see. But I’m pulling for them, because I tread another mass exodus to the portal and total restart.
I'll give the staff this - shot selection/ball movement is better even though the stats don't show it. However, I'm afraid issues like shooting come from a flawed roster and it's not something the staff can just fix which might cost them after the year. Simply being able to defend is good enough against teams ranked 200th or worse, but even against a slightly above average team you need to make shots and McCombs has ignored that. If she sticks around, GW may have a stable floor but the ceiling will be low.