Posted by xAC  3/01/2024 9:26 am | #1 |
Next up: Loyola Chicago (LUC) Ramblers
Time: March 2, 2024; 2 PM (ET)
Venue: Charles E Smith Center – Washington, DC
2022-23 Record: 6-24 (1-15 in A10)
2024 Projection: 15th
Current Record: 14-14
OOC Record: 6-5
A10 Record: 8-9
Common OOC: None
Last Time Out: 61-50 loss to GW in 2022-23 (at GW)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: In the final regular season conference contest, Loyola Chicago visits the Smith Center on Saturday. After a rough first year in the A10 (1-15, 15th place), the Ramblers were projected to once again finish in last place again this season. Exceeding expectations, they come into this matchup with 8 conference wins and are tied for 7th place in the standings. Their best wins include a 73-68 road win against Northwestern and a 61-56 A10 victory over URI in January. The Ramblers are led by guards Sam Galanopoulos (13.5 ppg) and Alyssa Fisher (13.3 ppg), but perhaps their best all-around player is 6’2” Sitori Tanin, who averages 10.2 pg and 6.3 rpg. In last year’s second contest with GW, Tanin was dominant inside, finishing the game with a 17/10 double-double. As s team, Loyola averages 64.2 on 41.2% field goal accuracy (34.2 from 3-point range), while yielding 63.9 ppg to their opponents.
About the game: Loyola added St. Francis transfer Fisher to complement Tanin and Galanopoulos to strengthen last year’s roster, facilitating a move to the middle of the A10 pack. Loyola is a confident squad that will be looking to avenge last year’s losses to the Revs. For GW, rebounding will be the key. The shooting woes continue, so getting second chance opportunities will be critical. They must cut down on silly turnovers or it could be a long afternoon. Robertson has been more efficient in scoring lately, but is turning the ball over too much. Lok needs to put two good halves together. Others (Brown, Innis, Sims) need to contribute while avoiding unnecessary negative plays. Taiwo will take care of the boards. Defensively, GW has to contain Tanin inside the paint, but also be mindful of the perimeter game, as Fisher, Galanopoulos, and Ali Berg have all canned 35+ 3-pointers this year. Challenges all around for GW, but as in most cases, it will come down to whether the Revs can score enough points to win.
A nice win would be fitting for Senior Day, but whatever the outcome, hopefully it will be a memorable sendoff for Blethen, Brown, Buford, Durant, Innis, Lok, and Taiwo. They will be sorely missed for more than what they’ve contributed to GW WBB. Outstanding ladies, all.
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Posted by xAC 3/02/2024 4:34 pm | #2 |
Final Result: GW parlays aggressive suffocating and sufficient offense to fend off LUC for a 50-43 victory.
The game looked to be competitive from the start, but GW had a few unforced turnovers that gave LUC more field goal attempts and allowed them to keep pace. At 2:54 of the 1st, the teams were tied at 12-12. Robertson scored the first 8 points for GW, but unfortunately was hit with her 2nd foul and forced to the bench. The Ramblers managed to take a 17-15 lead at quarter’s end. GW’s defense shut out Loyola’s offense the first 5 minutes of the 2nd quarter, but managed only 6 points to take a tenuous 21-17 lead. Foul troubles continued to mount for GW, with Brown and Sims also picking up their 2nd fouls. After a 6-0 run, GW increased the lead to 8 points, but numerous sloppy plays and missed shots allowed LUC to finish the quarter with a 7-0 run of their own and go into halftime trailing only 27-26. Robertson, who only played 5 minutes in the half, led GW with 8 points. Fisher led the Ramblers with 9 points. Both teams shot about 30% for the half, but LUC was taking tough shots, whereas GW missed on numerous open opportunities. The 2nd half opened with both sides struggling a bit offensively, and stumbling to a 34-34 tally at the media break. Foul trouble continued to hinder GW, creating unfamiliar rotations and a mistake-prone offense. Again, the defense was stout, and shut out the Ramblers for the last 5 minutes of the period. Robertson’s banked 3-pointer broke the tie, and her pair of free throws gave GW a 39-34 lead heading into the final quarter. GW struck first in the 4th, but LUC was able to counter on GW’s missed opportunities to close within 3 points at the 5:21 mark. After that, GW’s defense controlled the game, forcing tough shots by the Ramblers and finishing enough scoring chances to secure a 50-43 win. Robertson led all scorers with 16 points, followed by Brown’s 14 points. Taiwo finished with 11 boards. Fisher had 13 points for the Ramblers.
Credit the defense for this win. The Revs smothered the Ramblers’ offense, forcing tough shot after tough shot. The Ramblers finished the game hitting only 26.2% (16-61). LUC’s top players—Fisher (4-15), Tanin (1-11), and Galanopolous (3-14) all had tough outings today. From GW’s perspective, the offense was disjoint for most of the game, especially with the substitutions necessitated by foul trouble. In this contest, Brown was the MVP, scoring on 5 drives to the basket, most in critical situations, and hitting all of her free throws (4-4). Lok (1-7) and Innis (1-6) had subpar shooting days and also had troubles handling/passing the ball, which contributed to 20 turnovers overall and helped Loyola stay close throughout the game. Regardless, a 3rd consecutive conference win, this one at home, was a fitting finish for the graduating members of the Revolutionaries on Senior Day.
This win, coupled with Dayton’s loss, has elevated GW to 10th seed in the A10. They now forgo the first round and will face the 7th seed next Thursday in Round 2. Nice to go into the tourney with some momentum, especially after the way things have progressed this year.
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Posted by GW0509 3/02/2024 8:12 pm | #3 |
