Posted by xAC  3/05/2024 11:54 am | #1 |
Next up: St. Louis Billikens (SLU)
Time: March 7, 2024; 5 PM (ET)
Venue: Henrico Sports & Events Center – Richmond, VA
Current Record: 14-17
A10 Record: 9-9
A10 Finish: 7th Place
Team Statistics: Scoring – 73.4 ppg (2nd in A10); 43% Filed Goal Accuracy (4th in A10)
Defense – 72.1 ppg (15th in A10)
Rebounding – 36.1 rpg (8th in A10)
3-Point Efficiency – 31.2% (8th in A10)
Key Players: Kayla McMakin - 17.2 ppg
Peyton Kennedy – 15.8 ppg
Brooklyn Gray – 11.8 ppg
Julia Martinez – 8.2 ppg; 6.3 rpg; 6.3 apg (A10 leader)
Last Time Out: 66-56 win over GW at Smith Center (1-20-2024)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: GW takes on the St. Louis Billikens in Round 2 of the Atlantic Ten Tournament on Thursday evening. The Billikens, last year’s A10 tournament champions, finished 7th in the conference this year at 9-9, after Davidson forfeit the last game due to injuries. St. Louis completed their schedule by bringing in Division III Knox College for their Senior Day. The 119-42 rout of Knox was no more than non-competitive practice for the Billiken squad. St. Louis has good offensive numbers paced by the balanced scoring of McMakin, Kennedy, and Gray and playmaking of A10 assists leader Martinez. As a team, they rank 2nd in the A10 in scoring, with over 73 points a game, but their defense allows over 72 points a game, placing last in the conference.
About the Game: St. Louis is a mixed bag, with good offensive numbers and not so good defensive stats. In the previous game, GW could not contain McMakin and Kennedy, who combined for 41 points on 17-34 shooting. Martinez, who was just 1-5 from the field, had 9 assists to make things easier for the high scoring pair. GW forced 20 turnovers, but was unable to capitalize, netting only 11 points off the miscues. Offensively, Robertson was held to a season low 6 field goal attempts in 33 minutes of action. Although the other starters picked up some of the slack, the bench was held scoreless, and GW could not overcome a 15-point Billiken 1st half lead. In order to compete in this game, GW cannot get behind early and the defense has to limit big scoring outbursts from McMakin and Kennedy. Robertson has been playing better of late, but Lok has been inconsistent. Someone (Brown, Innis, or Sims?) has to step up if Lok struggles offensively. Additionally, the bench has to contribute as it has in recent games.
This game is winnable and GW has not lost in an opening game of the A10 tournament since the 2019-2020 season. The Revs are capable of playing a much better game than they did against St. Louis earlier this season, and they have to in order win. Will they be up to the challenge?
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Posted by dmvpiranha 3/07/2024 7:20 pm | #2 |
Fourth quarter summed up the entire season. WBB couldn't score and against teams in the top half of the A10 got killed in the paint. Bummer after playing a really strong game most of the way.
Thanks to the seniors for all their contributions to the program. I'll definitely miss Mayowa's energy and rebounding, Essence providing good defense, and Nya Lok making timely shots. Next year will be all McCombs players so there won't be an excuse for poor performance from the team.
Apart from much needed scoring, the team needs to get bigger in general. There is a similarity to MBB in that there is a complete inability to score in the post. Unfortunately, Durant didn't work out but McCombs will need to figure that out next year to bring balance to the team offensively and defend the interior.
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Posted by xAC 3/07/2024 7:23 pm | #3 |
Final Results: 4th quarter collapse ends GWs season 75-68 to St. Louis.
The Revs hit their first 4 shots to set the tone early, but St. louis was able to answer on the offensive end as well. Behind 7 points by Lok, GW was able to take a 12-10 lead into the media timeout. The Revs finished the quarter strong with solid defense and effective transition offense. After shooting 9-16 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc, they took a 21-14 lead into the 2nd quarter. GW started the 2nd period fast and raced out to a 10-point lead, but an extended period of one careless offensive play after another led to a St. Louis 11-0 run and 29-28 lead with 4:08 left in the period. After the timeout, GW regained their composure and outscored the Billikens 8-5 in the final moments of the period to take a 36-34 lead into halftime. Robertson led the way for GW with 12 points, while Brown and Lok chipped in 7 points each. Kennedy had 10 points for St. Louis. The 3rd quarter started with both teams raising the defensive intensity. A big offensive rebound by Taiwo and subsequent 3-pointer by Innis was the key play up to the media TO, and took GW 45-41 lead. After the break, GW shut down the Billikens on defense and ran the lead up to 56-45 with one period to go. To start the 4th, GW’s offense stumbled out of the gate and St. Louis went on a 9-2 tear to cut the lead to 4 points with 6:08 left in the game. After that, the officials helped to decide the outcome of the game, calling a totally unnecessary technical foul on Robertson after she made a basket to bring GW’s lead back up to 5 points. That changed the momentum of the game and after regaining the lead, St. Louis did not look back. To add insult to injury, the officials ejected Robertson from the game in the closing seconds, for a foul that looked like anything but flagrant. Robertson led GW with 23 points, but Brown (10), Lok (15), and Innis (12) also finished in double figures. McMakin had 22 points, followed by Kennedy with 15 points.
GW played well for most of the game, but each time they built a double-digit lead, they got sloppy and let St. Louis back into the game. By playing only six players, GW paid a price, as fatigue was a big factor in the late stages of both halves, in addition to some questionable officiating. With the season over, it’s hard not to ponder what might have been if the Revs had played more games like they played this one. All the players who will not be backed next year will be sorely missed.
This ends our season. Hopefully, the offseason will be eventful and bring some optimism for 2024-2025.
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Posted by BC 3/08/2024 9:46 am | #4 |
xAC,Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
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Posted by xAC 3/08/2024 11:03 am | #5 |
BC - thanks for the acknowledgement. It's a great hobby for a retiree looking to pass the time.
See you next season, when hopefully, the reporting is more upbeat.
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Posted by gwstudent2024 3/08/2024 3:16 pm | #6 |
https://gwradio.com/late-collapse-undoes-womens-basketball-in-a10-tournament/
Really frustrating 4th quarter, described by McCombs as probably their worst quarter of the season. Definitely lots of holes to fill this offseason. We'll see how well the staff can utilize the portal (and crucially if they can keep Robertson). I'll echo what BC said in terms of thanking xAC for the previews and recaps. Always very helpful when preparing for a game or reviewing one.
