GW will host the Loyola Chicago Ramblers of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10) in Round 3 of the WNIT on March 27 at 6 PM (ET). The Ramblers finished 8th in the A10 regular season and lost to top-seeded URI in the quarter-finals of the A10 Championships. Earlier this season, Loyola defeated GW at the Smith Center, 53-48. To get to this match up, the Ramblers defeated Norfolk State and Florida Gulf State in earlier WNIT rounds. 

Loyola Chicago Ramblers: 9-9 in the A10 and 16-17 overall.
Leading Scorers: Alexus Mobley (11.6 ppg), Alex-Anne Bessette (11.4 ppg), Alexa Kinas (9.9 ppg)
Leading Rebounders: Brooklyn Vaughn (5.3 rpg), Mobley (4.9 rpg), Kinas (4.8 rpg)
Assists Leaders: Kira Chivers (2.5 apg), Kinas (2.4 apg)
Key Bench Players: Rosalie Mercille (5.8 ppg), Audrey Deptula (4.0 ppg)
Team Offense: 56.8 ppg; 38.6% Field Goal Accuracy (26.0% on 3-pointers); 11.6 Assists per game; 15.8 Turnovers per game; Assist-to-Turnover Ratio 0.7
Team Defense: 61.1 ppg; 31.4 rpg; 17.5 Forced Turnovers per game 

George Washington Revolutionaries: 7-11 in the A10 and 17-17 overall
Leading Scorers: Gabby Reynolds (14.5 ppg), Sara Lewis (10.8 ppg), Kamari Sims (8.2 ppg)
Leading Rebounders: Lewis (5.8 rpg), Tannah Becker 4.4 rpg), Reynolds (4.4 rpg)
Assists Leaders: Sims (2.3 apg), Mia James (2.0 apg)
Key Bench Players: Emma Theodorsson (7.3 ppg), Jaeda Wilson (5.5 ppg)
Team Offense: 60.9 ppg; 41% Field Goal Accuracy (30.6% on 3-pointers); 11.4 Assists per game; 15.8 Turnovers per game; Assist-to-Turnover Ratio 0.7
Team Defense: 60.6 ppg; 35 rpg; 13.8 Forced Turnovers per game  

This matchup pits two teams that have recently won games in similar ways. Both teams have struggled to put consistent offenses together, but have leaned on their defenses to keep them competitive in games. In the first game between the two, GW could only manage 48 points, but still managed to take a lead the game going into the final period. An 18-10 advantage for Loyola in the 4th quarter was the difference in the game. Mobley’s 19 points backed up by 11 points from Mercille were enough to carry the team. Lewis (15 points) was the only double digit scorer for GW. 

Expect this game to go much the same way as the first. The Revs’ defense will focus on limiting Mobley, while forcing the Ramblers to play half court offense and trying to control the pace. On offense, the Revs have take care of the ball to prevent Loyola from getting easy scores, and hit open shots. The Ramblers' defensive focus on Reynolds should provide some good opportunities for her teammates, but they have to knock some of them down. Were it not for an extraordinary performance by Reynolds, the outcome in the USI game would have been different. In that game, USI did a great job on Reynolds, limiting her to just 9 shot attempts. Fortunately for GW, she hit on 7 of them, including 6 from beyond the arc. Lewis had only 8 attempts, but hit on 5 of them. Unfortunately, the rest of the team was just 5-24 overall, and just 1-16 on 3-point attempts. The short bench has also been an issue. Foul trouble has become a big issue, especially when Theodorsson and Phiri are out of the lineup. The Revs’ offensive potential suffers when Reynolds or Lewis have to sit out for any extended amount of time and in this game points will be at a premium. These teams will go after each other hard and the outcome will depend on who can manufacture the most points. The only certainty in this contest is that the A10 will have at least one team in the Great Eight. 

The winner of this game will go on to meet the winner between Illinois State and Abilene Christian.