Next up:                  Fordham University Rams
Time:                       January 11, 2023; 12 PM
Venue:                    Smith Center; Washington DC
2021-22 Record:    18-10 overall; 8-6 in A10
2023 Projection:    4th
Current Record:    11-5   
OOC Record:         8-5   
A10 Record:           3-0
Common OOC:     Manhattan (Win)
Broadcast:            ESPN+ 

After a hard fought victory in Olean, NY, the Colonials return to the friendly confines of the Smith Center on Wednesday to take on the Fordham Rams. The Rams, who were picked to finish 4th in the A10 this year, completed their OOC schedule with an 8-5 record that included losses to Washington of the PAC-12, and a tightly contested game against a ranked Maryland squad. The Rams shared one common OOC opponent with GW, and like GW, they defeated the Manhattan Jaspers (65-55). Fordham comes into the game undefeated in A10 play, having dispatched Davidson, VCU and Dayton.
 
Fordham brings in the A10’s second highest scoring team at 73.8 ppg and is shooting 42.3% from the field (34.5 % from 3-point range) and 79.5% on free throws. They allow 63.1 ppg on 39.9% accuracy. The Rams boast a balanced attack led by two veteran players who achieved preseason all A10 honors. 2nd Team all A10 guard Asiah Dingle leads the Rams in scoring at 19.3 ppg. Her running mate in the backcourt, Anna DeWolfe, who was a 1st Team all-A10 pick, is scoring at a 17.7 ppg. clip. The frontcourt is anchored by graduate student Kaitlyn Downey, who averages 12.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg,
 
We haven’t beat Fordham since the 2016-17 season, so we’re overdue. Last year, GW was on the losing end of a 61-53 contest played at Rose Hill in the Bronx.
 
About the game:
 
Fordham is a veteran squad that starts three graduate students and two seniors. They bring in a potent trio that accounts for 67%of their scoring. The high scoring trio has also combined for 102 3-pointers on 276 attempts (37%). The Rams are not a tall squad, but they are quick and have two guards that handle the ball well, so we’ll have our work cut out for us on defense. Dingle played for Coach McCombs at Stony Brook during the 2020-21 season, so Coach may have some thoughts on how to slow her down.
 
For GW, this game will be about trying to keep up offensively. We can’t afford a bad start or sustained droughts against this team. That means sticking with our offensive movement, taking good shots, and limiting our one-on-one actions. Look for Lakstigala to come back strong from the Bonnies game and for the other starters to continue to perform well. Taiwo needs to be Taiwo, and Brown, Blethen, and Innis need to take advantage of their scoring opportunities. At the other end, we need to limit easy baskets and make the Rams work hard for their scores. Robertson has been reliable coming off the bench, but we need Lok, Thornton, Webster and Engel to make good offensive decisions and play strong defense.
 
Easier said than done, but if GW wants to regularly compete with the upper tier A10 squads, all the pieces have to fall in place.

Last edited by xAC (1/09/2023 3:46 pm)