LET'S GO WIN THIS THING.

57-56 GW 20 seconds left. Delaware ball.

This was the best, most consistent game so far, except for the 1st quarter. The defense was really good, shutting down an explosive offense (up to now), and the offense was a good as it needed to be. GW missed a lot of wide open shots, but the half court offense was working pretty well. Delaware wanted to run, and GW defended that well, but when we tried to run in return, we had a lot of TOs and several (easy) missed layups. We had too many unforced bad passes in this game either on the fast break, or trying to go inside. 

Props to the freshmen, especially Gingras.  
This is the most college-ready class we've had in a while. They've been pretty consistent, whereas the uppers have really good or really bad games. Gringras had some great plays today, and when Delaware was trying to force the tempo, she was very steady. Whitney had her best game today, and as already reported, Luma, Blethen, and Taiwo were basically non-productive offensively.

Delaware is a better team than Howard or UMBC, so beating them before A10 play may be a confidence boost. The team may be a year from being competitive, but giving the frosh the exposure and playing time will hopefully payoff in next season (and the next).

Last edited by xAC (12/21/2020 8:29 am)

Was on the road when the team took the court, but managed to catch the replay. Great win against a Delaware squad that has already defeated St. John's (Mei-Lyn is a grad assistant there) and Pitt (Jasmine's former squad). Nice to see a 39 point effort in the second half, probably the best offensive half the team has had so far. Coming out after halftime, the team made a concerted effort to get to the basket, and I liked the number of cuts various players made to get good looks near the rim, especially useful for a team that is probably lacking a bit in shooting. Very encouraging that the team shot 40% despite Neila having an off game.

The defense was the standout as usual, and our zone gave the Blue Hens a lot of fits in the second half. Jasmine Dickey on their squad was very impressive and looks like a future pro - she moves very fluidly on the court and has a good looking shot. We did a nice job limiting her chances after halftime.

Jasmine Whitney's hustle so far this season has been so refreshing to see after watching the MBB team. She has consistently dived on the floor, keeping possessions alive, getting steals, and generating a number of jump balls each game. Her free throw shooting late in the game was key as well. Last season, the point felt like a somewhat unsteady position for the team and something that I think held the team back from realizing its potential. Jasmine has definitely done a great job so far in her time here and has solidified that position for the team this year.

Aurea has done a great job herself so far in her young career at GW. There have been times where the team gets a bit out of sorts playing fast but she has done well to slow things down and reset when the team has needed it. She looked noticeably more aggressive taking the ball to the hoop yesterday and did a great job passing the ball around as well. Congrats to her for winning rookie of the week! There is a lot to be excited about with this freshman class. Much like Neila, Caranda has really excelled in the midrange and am glad she has been getting more time. Ali of course came out on fire from the get-go, a strong presence inside. Unfortunately she found herself in a bit of foul trouble which hurt us a bit on the boards when she was out.

With Sydney and Gabby expected to be back next month, it definitely seems the team could get a boost offensively and perhaps we could outperform expectations coming into the year. Nice to end the year with a win!