Final Result: Big 2nd half lifts GW past the VUL Dragons 89-38.

No changes to GW’s starting lineup from the prior two games. The Revs started with low energy, playing down to the Dragons’ level in the 1st 5 minutes of the game and managing only 9-4 lead at the first official timeout. Things actually got worse after the timeout. Numerous missed shots and bad passing allowed VUL to stay within 5 points at the end of the quarter (15-10).  In the 2nd quarter, things started off no better for the Revs, and their defense broke down, allowing VUL to make a 10-0 run to tie the game at 23-all. GW was able to close the quarter on a 12-0 run of their own to take a 35-23 lead into the half. Reynolds and Andrews finished with 8 points each, but GW was a miserable 11-38 from the field (28.9%). Miriam Diala had some good minutes for GW, scoring 6 straight points for the Revs early in the 2nd quarter. Karin Purchas, who looked like VUL’s version of Nya Robertson, finished with 8 points for the Dragons. GW opened the 3rd quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 48-26 lead with 4:47 to go. GW took advantage of their height to get many clean inside shots, and were markedly more active on the defensive side than in the 1st half. Behind a solid 10-17 shooting for the quarter, the Revs extended the lead to 63-29, heading into the final quarter. Diala continued her solid play, ending the quarter with 11 points at that point in the game. Diala continued her assault to open the 4th, scoring 7 straight points, before retiring to bench with an 18/10 double-double in just 11 minutes of play. GW stretched the lead in the remaining minutes to 89-38 with the substitutes upping the defensive intensity and holding the Dragons scoreless until the last few of minutes of the final quarter. Andrews had 16 points and Mott added 10 points. GW shot 60% for the 2nd half to finish the game at a respectable 44%. For VUL, Purchas had 10 points.

The game was a tale of two halves. The Dragons were very athletic and quick, but lacked size and refined offensive skills. Before adjusting to their quickness, the starting backcourt struggled on both ends of the court. In addition to taking some questionable shots, they made numerous careless passes that killed the offensive flow. On the defensive side, they gave up too many clean shots in the early going. When GW finally cranked up the defensive intensity towards the end of the 2nd quarter, the offense became easier and resulted in closing 12-0 run. In the 2nd half, the defense was locked in from the get-go and dictated the pace of the game, leading to a lot of easy transition baskets. For the game, Reynolds and Lewis were a combined 3-18 from the field, but our front court (Mott, Planes Fortuny, Diala, and Loving), were a combined 14-18. It’s difficult to draw conclusions from this game-- and it may have elicited more questions than answers.

Ohio (our next opponent) is not VUL, so the coaches have some work cut out for them the rest of this week.  

Last edited by xAC (11/11/2024 10:01 pm)