Posted by xAC  12/19/2023 9:59 am | #1 |
Next up: Stonehill College Skyhawks
Conference: Northeast Conference (NEC)
Time: December 21, 2023; 11 AM (ET)
Venue: Charles E Smith Center - Washington, DC
2022-23 Record: 9-20 (5-11 in NEC – 7th Place)
2024 Projection: 5th
Current Record: 0-11
Common Opponents: None
Last Time Out: No recent history
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: On Thursday morning, the Stonehill College Skyhawks visit the Smith Center for GW’s final out-of-conference game of the season. Stonehill, of the Northeast Conference (NEC), is playing in only their second year of Division I sports and comes into this contest winless, at 0-11. They have lost by an average of 26.7 points per game, with their closest contests coming against Lehigh and Northeastern in a pair of 12-point losses. Their best player this year has been guard Jada Thornton, who comes into the game averaging 9.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg. Forward Maureen Stapleton leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 rpg. Cameron Ward, a returning starter from last year, was expected to be a significant contributor this season, but has only suited up for a single game so far. As a team, Stonehill averages 47.8 ppg, while shooting just 30.1% from the field and 22.7% from beyond the arc.
About the game: Stonehill is a work in progress and striving to become proficient at the Division I level. Their offense will struggle against the Revs’ defense. On the other hand, GW’s offense has had a tendency to play down to their opponent’s level, as was the case in the last game against Hampton. Despite holding the Pirates to just 13 field goals for the entire game, the Revs’ anemic offense was unable to take advantage and create a comfortable lead throughout the entire game. Although 0-11, the Skyhawks strength-of-schedule (Massey) sits at #231, which is considerably better than GW, who comes into this game at #282 (and will drop even lower after this game).
GW has some things to fix offensively, but a game against this opponent isn’t likely to provide much of a gauge. Look for Brown, Innis and Lok to assert themselves offensively, especially if Robertson is still unavailable or the front court struggles to score inside the box. If healthy, Robertson and Buford will get a last opportunity to play at game speed in preparation for the A10 opener against Richmond.
Given the impending uptick in the level of competition, a positive scenario would be to win this game and finish the OOC with a completely healthy squad.
Last edited by xAC (12/19/2023 11:45 am)
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Posted by xAC 12/21/2023 1:08 pm | #2 |
Final Result: After big 3rd quarter, GW cruises to 67-34 victory.
Robertson, Buford and Lok were unavailable, giving Lewis her first career start. GW’s smothering defense did not give Stonehill any good looks and shutout the Skyhawks in the 1st period. GW’s offense left some points off the board by missing some open shots, but ended the quarter with a 15-0 lead. Mass substitutions for GW led to early 2nd quarter defensive breakdowns and Stonehill started to heat up offensively. Stonehill, on the strength of 3 3-pointers by Stapleton, won the 2nd quarter 21-16 and trailed by only 31-21 going into the break. GW, despite only 3 turnovers, could only muster 12 field goals on 32 attempts, contributing to the Skyhawks’ comeback surge. Brown led all scorers with 11 points, followed by Innis, with 8 points. The 3rd quarter started with GW missing 3 shots on their first possession before Brown scored in the lane. After some back and forth, GW kicked up the defensive intensity to shutout Stonehill for the remainder of the period and extend the lead to 48-26 heading into the 4th. After an early 4th quarter outburst led by Brown, the subs took the game to the final margin of victory. Brown finished with a career high 25 points. Engel finished with 9 points thanks to her 3-4 accuracy from beyond the arc.
This was a good win for GW, despite the level of competition. The Revs’ controlled the pace for the entire game and managed to limit the turnovers to just 8 for the game. Some bright spots rising from the recent spate of injuries include valuable playing time for key substitutes, and more importantly, the emergence of Brown as a primary offensive option. It was also nice to see Engel shoot confidently and for others to contribute while limiting mistakes. Because of the recent drop-off in capability by the bench, especially in 2nd quarters, it will be critical for our injured players to get back in the lineup, hopefully, before the A10 opener.
The OOC is completed and GW finished at 7-5, which is comparable to last year’s 8-5 mark. Last season’s SoS was considerably stronger and helped GW to secure a winning conference record. This year, GW opens the season with a number of question marks against an A10 field that seems to be more balanced from top to bottom than last year’s edition. The Revs surprised a good Richmond team last year and upset them on the road on opening day. This year, the opener at Smith Center against an even better Richmond team with Maggie Doogan in the lineup, will be a good indicator of how well the Revs will be able to compete in the conference this year.
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Posted by BC 12/21/2023 2:19 pm | #3 |
I don't remember any other game we we held an opponent scoreless. Good on you, GW! I sure wish we could shoot better though.
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Posted by WMC 12/21/2023 4:42 pm | #4 |
On January 21, 2017, GW shut out UMass in Amherst in the 4th quarter 15 - 0, to send the game into overtime. I only remember it because I was there, and the 4th quarter and 1st OT were the most bizarre display of ineffective offense I've ever seen.
UMass shot 0 - 7 FG in the 4th. They were 0 - 16 for the last 20 minutes of the game. GW was 1 - 12 FG in the 1st OT, while the Minutewomen made 2 - 2 FTs. Hannah Schaible took over the game in the second OT with steal, lay-up, jumper (Asst-Martins), lay-up (Asst-Bresee) in about 2 minutes. She finished with 9 points (2 in 4th quarter) and 13 rebounds.
Lexi Martins scored 25 points. Kendal Bresee had a break-out game with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists in 28 minutes. She made two 3 pointers in the 4th quarter, and almost made what would have been a game winning jumper from the side, while wearing only one shoe.
It would be a few more years before Tory Verdi got his first win over GW.
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Posted by GW0509 12/21/2023 7:42 pm | #5 |
