Posted by xAC  1/15/2023 8:34 am | #1 |
Next up: George Mason University Patriots
Time: January 16, 2023; 12 PM
Venue: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, VA
2021-22 Record: 10-19 overall; 3-12 in A10
2023 Projection: 14th
Current Record: 9-9
OOC Record: 7-6
A10 Record: 2-3
Common OOC: AU (W), Coppin State (W)
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
On Martin Luther King Jr Day, GW WBB will take the short jog down to Fairfax, Virginia to take on the George Mason University (GMU) Patriots in the first of two regular season meetings. The Patriots, who were picked to finish 14th in the A10 this year, completed their OOC schedule with a 7-6 record that included victories over AU and Coppin State, two OOC opponents they shared in common with GW. Despite their low preseason ranking, GMU managed to win two of their first three league games, before dropping consecutive games to La Salle and VCU.
As a team, GMU averages 60.3 ppg on 36.8% shooting (26.6% from 3-point range) and 61.9% on free throws. They allow 61.7 ppg on 38.7% shooting. Taylor Jameson is their best player, averaging 13.1 ppg, but is only shooting 32.7% from the field. Sonia Smith chips in 9.1 ppg. Despite some offensive shortcomings, the Patriots are a pretty good defensive team that is near the top of the A10 in rebounding at 40.7 per game. 6’2” Nalani Kaysia leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 rpg, while Riley Childs, J-Naya Ephraim, and 6’2” Jazmyn Doster all average more than 4.4 rpg. Doster, who comes off the bench, has been particularly effective inside against GW. In GMU’s win last year, she finished the game with a 13-11 double-double and followed up with an 11-6 outing in the game that GW won.
Last season, GW lost to the Patriots 52-46 at EagleBank Arena, but returned the favor with a 65-57 decision at the Smith Center.
About the game:
GMU is an A10 team in transition, so their defense is coming together while they develop offensive chemistry between last year’s mainstays and several newcomers. Although they have been inconsistent offensively, they have multiple players who could have big games, as Jameson, Smith, Lawhorne, Doster, and Kaysia have all had 15+ point games this season. Defensively, GW has to neutralize their size inside the paint. On offense, we have to minimize forced shots and hit open ones, especially layups. In the La Salle game Engel, Gingras, Thornton, and Webster did not impact the game, but with increased playing time, that can change. Hopefully, Innis will return to action, but if she doesn’t, the coaches should consider additional minutes for Lok, who has been consistently productive in recent games.
GMU presents an opportunity for a win, but easy wins in the A10 will be rare for this GW team. GMU will be motivated by the nationally televised MLK day event at their home arena. GW must stay focused and play smart to secure a positive outcome. With VCU on the horizon, Monday’s holiday contest is no time for a let-down.
Last edited by xAC (1/15/2023 8:36 am)
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Posted by Tennessee Colonial 1/16/2023 2:32 pm | #2 |
4-25 from 3 point range? 2 players like to take most of these shots and miss on a consistent basis. Coach? Hello!
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Posted by gwstudent2024 1/16/2023 2:47 pm | #3 |
Second game in a row where they haven't woken up until the fourth quarter. The three point shooting is obviously an issue too and it's not like they're taking all awful shots, they're missing plenty of open ones
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Posted by xAC 1/16/2023 2:50 pm | #4 |
GW loses 67-57 in an unremarkable performance.
GW started off well, but then some sloppy offense resulted in some easy buckets and a GMU 9-0 run. The bench helped the Colonials recover and end the 1st quarter tied at 17-all. We allowed GMU to shoot 61% for the quarter, and Kaysia had success inside with 6 points on 3-3 shooting. The 2nd quarter started out back and forth with neither team demonstrating any offensive continuity. The Patriots surged after the official timeout while GW stayed cold. Robertson was 2-10 at the break. A mini 4-0 run to end the quarter helped GW cut the lead to 35-30 deficit. Smith was hot for GMU and finished the half with 14 points on 6-8 shooting. In the 3rd, GW continued to play poorly on both ends of the court and a very ugly period ended with GMU on top 59-42. Bad shots and bad misses led to numerous easy transition baskets for the Patriots. Up to this point in the game, GMU was shooting 62.5% from the field. In the 4th, GW showed some signs of life, but despite many defensive stops, the offense came up empty on too many occasions and we could not manage to get the deficit to below 8 points. At the buzzer, the score stood 67-57 in favor of the Patriots.
George Mason outplayed GW in nearly every aspect of the game from beginning to end. They held GW to 4-25 from beyond the arc, which was a key determining factor for the game. Taiwo, who had another double-double (10-12) and was all over the court on defense, and Lok, whose 12 points sparked a comeback, were the only Colonials to shine today. Robertson (2-14) and Thornton (2-9) accounting for 54% of our missed field goals. Lakstigala finished with a team-high 14 points, but had only 2 3-point tries. A loss to a beatable opponent is disappointing for sure, but more so when a lot of the harm is self-inflicted.
GW needs to put this game behind us, but there are issues to be resolved. Teams are now playing Lakstigala tight when she has the ball, taking away her space and limiting her 3-point attempts. She has done a good job of taking the ball to the basket, but maybe too much. We had too many drives in traffic that resulted in dribbles off our own legs or wild shots that propelled the Patriots transition game. Our passing game is more suited to maintaining a balanced defensive rotation and leading to better shots. However, we have to make more shots. Both Robertson and Thornton need to become more efficient scorers, but we also need more reliable production from Brown, Innis, and Blethen. It’s hard to put your finger on, but some combinations aren’t working well together, and the coaches need to figure that out.
VCU is next up so the degree of difficulty is cranked up a notch.
Last edited by xAC (1/16/2023 3:45 pm)
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Posted by dmvpiranha 1/16/2023 3:21 pm | #5 |
"Our defense tells us if we win, our offense tells us by how much"
Right now, the defense has determined a guaranteed loss the past two games. This team simply isn't as good defensively as last year's team (or really even the current team from earlier in the season). Players aren't closing out on opponent's attempts, and we have been so bad at rotating along the perimeter of late. On top of that, the energy was somehow completely missing until the fourth quarter. You cannot hope that any team will miss wide open shots. Thankfully, Mason's coach being too whiny and getting T'd up allowed us to get some momentum late. Someone needs to tell her that incidental contact is not the same thing as a flagrant foul.
The offense has determined that this team may dig itself into too large a hole to recover. Look at La Salle's and George Mason's passing/offense compared to us. Half the time we are heaving overly deep shots which leads to spotty offense at best. This team doesn't look like they have chemistry on the court for whatever reason. I sound like a broken record, but it's "your turn my turn" too often which doesn't lead to winning consistently. Too much isolation ball. If you don't have at least 10 assists in a game, you're doing a bad job passing the ball. How many easy shots are we able to generate on offense? I'm not sure I can even get to five plays in this game. Our defense needs to help the offense because the halfcourt offense is still not there. Right now, the energy is not there on D so transition opportunities have been few.
My stance on the team has not changed. Call me crazy, but until the road game against URI this team has a chance to win the next five games. It's likely they drop at least one or two, but it's one of those stretches where 3-2 looks a heck of a lot better than 2-3. The talent is there, but the team needs to get back to playing with energy on defense (and maybe bring in a new offensive coordinator in the offseason - need more cutting off ball).
