Next up:                              Loyola Chicago (LUC) Ramblers
Time:                                   March 5,2025; 12PM ET
Venue:                                Henrico Sports & Events Center- Henrico, VA
2024-25 Record:                13-16
OOC Record:                     8-3
A10 Record:                       5-13
2025 A10 Ranking             13th
Last Time Out:                   GW won 53-41 at Gentile Arena (Chicago, IL)
Broadcast:                         ESPN+ 

Opponent Summary: GW takes on Loyola University of Chicago on Wednesday afternoon in the first matchup of the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. GW, with an identical conference record as the Ramblers, was awarded the 12th seed by virtue of a tie breaker. The two teams split the regular season series, with each team winning on their opponent’s home court. The Ramblers bring a balanced attack into this contest, with no player averaging double figures in scoring, but Naelle Bernard (9.8 ppg), Emma Theodorsson (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Jess Finney (7.2 ppg), Sitori Tanin (7.0 ppg. 4.2 rpg), Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr (5.9 ppg), and Kira Chivers (5.6 ppg), are capable of big games. Bernard leads the perimeter attack, having hit on 55-147 3-point attempts for a 37.4% success rate.
 
GW’s leaders: Makayla Andrews (11.5 ppg), Gabby Reynolds (10.6 ppg), Paige Mott (7.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Sara Lewis (7.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
 
Team Comparisons:                    LUC                       GWU
Points Per Game:                        58.6                      58.7
Opponents PPG:                         63.9                       62.2
Field Goal %:                               38.3%                   38.8%
3-Point %:                                    30.3%                   26.2%
Free Throw %                              71.6%                   66.3%
Rebounds Per Game                   31.0                      39.9
Assist-Turnover Ratio                   0.8                        0.6
 
About the game: The conference opener pits two evenly matched squads with striking similarities. Beyond the statistics, both teams have struggled mightily to sustain consistent offenses, but both teams have from time to time risen to the occasion to secure victories. Loyola comes into the tournament having won their last two games (VCU and St. Louis) by the slimmest of margins. GW, after defeating Loyola in Chicago, lost four straight games before their season ending victory over URI. The defense will have to play 4 solid quarters and not let offensive lapses give the Ramblers any momentum. Offensively, the Revs need to focus on the inside game. In their victory over Loyola, Mott had a 16/12 double-double and GW went 19-24 from the free throw line to counter 32% overall shooting (only 2-19 from 3-point range) in that game. In his brief tenure as the interim coach, Novak has shortened the bench, relying on primarily seven players. This is not surprising, given Calisto’s recent inconsistent play and Sierra-Vargas’ difficulties in handling full court pressure. Sims has come off the bench to spark GW is the last few games, and Diala has played well enough to give Mott some much needed breaks. With the short bench in play, it’ll be important for the squad, especially Lewis, Mott, and Reynolds to stay out of foul trouble. This figures to be a tightly contested game that could be decided by who plays most effectively down the stretch.
 
From this point on, it’s win or go home.