Dayton ends GW’s season with 62-54 win.

This was a typical Dayton-GW defensive battle, but Dayton’s offense was more diversified and consistent, leading to the win. Dayton ran out to a 30-21 lead with minutes to go in the 1st half, but GW was able to close on a 7-1 run and trailed by just 31-27 going into the break. Eight Dayton players contributed to the scoring, with Olivia Leung, Madol, Ibrahim, and Maliyah Johnson all netting 5 points. Reynolds led GW with 9 points, while James and Lewis each chipped in with 6 points. In the 2nd half, GW briefly took a 1-point lead, but a Dayton run gave the Flyers a lead they would not relinquish. GW was able to get close but could never get over the hump. In the end, Dayton was simply more efficient on offense, out-shooting the Revs 46% to 34%. This was largely due to a 13-0 Flyer advantage in fast break points. Johnson and Madol led Dayton with 14 points each. Lewis had a big 2nd half for GW to finish with a 19/10 double-double, while Reynolds, who fouled out in the 4th quarter, and James, each poured in 11 points.

The Revs played without Theodorsson, who was unavailable, but Coach G substituted freely, giving 4 bench players double digit minutes. The GW defense was once again sound, albeit challenged by the Flyers’ size inside, but it was GW’s careless passing on the offensive side that gave way to the fast break scores that determined the outcome. Lewis and James had good games, but it was a rough night for Reynolds and Sims, who were a combined 6-23 from the field and 0-7 from beyond the arc. Dulin was a spark off the bench, finishing with 6 tough points and 2 assists.

Next up is the portal watching period. GW has all 5 starters returning next season, so if there are no transfers from that group, they’ll start with a good core. But to address their big weaknesses and compete in the A10 next year, they’ll have to recruit some talented post players and a really good ball handler. Good hunting Coach G!

Last edited by xAC (3/05/2026 8:31 pm)

My streamlined versions reflect some of my time constraints and are certainly not comparable to DMV’s in-depth posts that require a ton of research and time, but I thank you for the acknowledgments. 

And just to go bit further on BC’s comment about a “hopeful” season. Although it’s true that GW fell in line with early season expectations (finishing 10th in the A10) and the final record was similar to last year’s record, there were still a lot of obvious things that we had not seen in the previous 4 years. 

First, we saw marked improvement in the play of our 2 returning players-- Reynolds and Lewis, especially from a productivity and efficiency perspective. In addition to adding 3.4 points to her average (she finished at 13,9 ppg), Reynolds improved her field goal accuracy by 8% to 43%, and upped her free throw accuracy to 81.3%, a jump of 13.7%. Lewis increased her average by 3.7 points to 10.7 ppg, her field goal percentage by 11% (to 44%), and free throw percentage by 4% t(o 78%). 

We could see the potential in the newcomers, especially Becker, Wilson, James, and Dulin. Something happened in mid season to Phiri’s trajectory, but if she chooses to stay at GW, she could play a significant role moving forward. 

On the coaching side, we saw the staff build a lineup that would hold their own night after night, despite frequent size, physicality, and experience deficits. The defense was consistently solid and although the offense still needs a lot of work, the gradual improvements were apparent. We also saw the coaching staff make in-game adjustments, some leading to big comebacks or securing close wins. 

In the off season, some questions remain. Have the key players bought in and will they be Revolutionaries next year? Some of the other A10 teams are returning some tall and talented post players-- can Coach G augment the returning players with recruits that can compete with them? It’s a long off-season, but November (2026) will hit us before we know it.

Last edited by xAC (3/06/2026 11:56 am)