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Offline - From: Alabama
- Registered: 7/22/2019
- Posts: 557
GW versus Davidson Game Thread
Next up: Davidson College Wildcats
Time: February 23, 2025; 12 PM ET
Venue: Charles E Smith Center - Washington DC
2023-24 Record: 18-11 (8-10 in A10)
2025 Projection: 4th
Current Record: 16-11
OOC Record: 5-6
A10 Record: 11-4
Common OOC: None
Last Time Out: 45-40 loss to GW in 2023-24 (at Davidson)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: GW hosts the Davidson Wildcats on Senior Day in the only regular season meeting between the two teams. A challenging OOC, which included wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Charlotte, and losses to NC State and Virginia Tech, prepared them for the A10, where they currently stand at 11-4 and tied for 3rd place in the A10 standings. On Thursday, the Wildcats extended their current winning streak to 6 games with a 66-50 thumping of George Mason at Belk Arena. Davidson is led by Charlise Dunn, a preseason All-A10 2nd team selection, who averages 11.4 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Katie Donovan (10.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Issy Morgan (10.2 ppg) are also capable of big games. Their success this year has been propelled by great team play, scoring balance, and knowing how to win competitive contests. As a team, the Wildcats score 64.1 ppg on average while allowing 57.9 ppg. They shoot 42.4% from the field (35.1% from beyond the arc), and have a respectable .8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
About the game: The Wildcats come into this contest a confident squad, playing as well as anyone in the conference. GW will have a difficult time containing a Wildcat team that consistently executes a well-conceived offense and competent team defense. In the Richmond game, GW went to a motion offense and played some of their best offensive quarters of the season. If the Revs can continue to move the ball with quick passing, refrain from over dribbling, and forgo too much one-on-one play, they’ll be able to compete. But in order to beat Davidson, GW has to be more efficient with their shot making. Reynolds and Andrews have to take better shots (the pair was only 9-28 in the Richmond game) and find ways of getting the other players some open looks. Driving into the lane has still been mostly futile, with only Calisto and Reynolds having moderate success, so better judgement has to be exercised in that regard. There is a big question about who will be available for GW, but regardless of who plays, the focus should be on executing the offense without making unforced errors and getting more good looks at the basket.
At this stage, winning would be nice, but just playing well should give the team, especially the younger players, a better sense of their potential.
- xAC
- Buff & Blue Club
Offline
- From: Alabama
- Registered: 7/22/2019
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Re: GW versus Davidson Game Thread
Final Result: Davidson leverages big 3rd quarter for 73-54 win over GW.
Starting 5: Andrews, Engle, Lewis, Mott, Reynolds. GW started out ice-cold, missing multiple makeable attempts. Davidson took advantage, hitting a pair of treys on the way to a 10-7 lead at the 4:46 mark of the 1st quarter. The Wildcat man-to-man full court press did not force turnovers, but sped up GW’s halfcourt offense and forced some rushed shots. GW’s cold spell continued, but the defense helped keep the Revs close, trailing 16-11 to start the 2nd quarter. After the timeout, Davidson hit some inside shots, while GW continued to struggle. Davidson raced out to a 10-point lead, but a 12-0 GW surge, sparked an Engel corner 3-pointer, let GW close the quarter with a 32-30 lead at halftime. Dunn led the Wildcats with 10 points. For GW, Reynolds had 9 points, followed by Lewis, who chipped in 7 points. The 3rd quarter opened with both teams hot, but only Davidson was able to sustain their offense. The Wildcats took a 44-40 lead with 4:56 left in the period. A spate of GW turnovers late in the period helped to balloon the Wildcat margin to 58-45 heading into the final period. With no answers for a red-hot Dunn, GW fell behind even further, trailing 68-50 with 4:54 left in the game. The Wildcats coasted through the final minutes to take a 73-54 victory. Dunn paced Davidson with 25 points, hitting on 9-13 shots and grabbing 7 boards. Lewis led GW with 11 points, while Mott had a 10/10 double-double and Reynolds chipped in with 10 points.
After another great start, GW reverted to some bad habits and virtually ceded the contest to Davidson in the latter moments of the 3rd quarter. The main culprits were questionable shot selection, poor interior passing, and too much dribbling. Although Davidson’s defense was effective, GW’s offense went away from what worked well against Richmond and lost focus long enough for Davidson to put the game out of reach in the 3rd quarter. A breakdown in free throw shooting (GW missed 11 of 29 attempts) didn’t help. Reynolds, Mott, and Andrews took 33 of the teams 52 field goal attempts, but connected on only 9 of them (27%), a mixture of missing some makeable shots and taking some difficult ones. Credit Davidson. They executed their offense exceptionally well, and Dunn, in addition to her scoring, had a great defensive game as well, leading the way with 4 blocks and 2 steals.
GW has a chance to make amends in their next contest against UMASS. This is another opportunity for GW to work on maintaining their focus for a full 4 quarters.
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