Posted by xAC  11/09/2021 10:04 am | #1 |
It's great to be starting a new (and full) season. The first matchup should be interesting. GW and AU played two years ago, with AU taking a 66-53 win at Bender Arena. GW holds a 16-12 all-time advantage (11-4 at Smith Center).
AU finished 13-5 last year, 6-1 in league play. They return 4 starters, and have two senior guards returning who opted out of last season. Their height seems comparable to GW.
GW, 9-14 last year, lost their top 4 scorers and have 10 new faces in their line-up. Mayowa Taiwo (6.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg) is the leading scorer and rebounder from last year's team.
GW is picked at 12th in the A10, and AU picked at 4th in the Patriot, and also has the preseason POY in Jade Edwards, a guard who averaged 17.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg last year.
We shouldn't compare this year's team to last year's as far as results go. My expectations (hopes) for this year is to see a more energized and cohesive style of play, and that the potential for the upcoming years is obvious, regardless of our final record. Only a few hours to go, before we start to find out.
Last edited by xAC (11/12/2021 1:07 pm)
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Posted by GW Alum Abroad 11/09/2021 11:54 am | #2 |
With the coaching change and roster turnover, predicting what this team will be like is a little like playing darts blindfolded: who knows what we are going to see? If by the end of this season the team looks like it will be better in 2022-23, then I would call 2021-22 a success.
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Posted by Sons of Liberty 11/09/2021 6:30 pm | #3 |
AU up by 3 at the half.
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Posted by PKGW 11/09/2021 6:54 pm | #4 |
Love the strong defense, but not a lot of offensive talent on GW. Will come watch for the defensive work ethic for sure but more talented teams will overpower GW.
If we keep the defensive intensity and get additional talent this turnaround could be quick for the women’s team.
Posted by BC  Online!11/09/2021 7:29 pm | #5 |
GW wins 58-47! Game started poorly for GW, but after the 1st qtr they played good defense and started shooting better. Tyasia Moore looked good. Taiwo looked ok.
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Posted by dmvpiranha 11/10/2021 9:53 am | #6 |
A great start to the McCombs era. There are so many more scoring options on the team compared to last year when it was just Brigham. With a better first quarter, the team would have easily crossed 60, something that we would have struggled mightily to do last year.
Mayowa Taiwo was great as usual battling down low and had a nice steal and layup in transition during the game. She is a very crafty player down low and has a good touch near the rim.
It seems like Kyara Frames was on the scouting report because American did not give her really any lanes to drive.
Nice to see Maddie Loder knock down a three early in the game - we still only shot 15% from three but I am still optimistic that we won't be as bad as last year.
Taylor Webster had some nice drives to the hoop but couldn't always convert. I overall liked what she brought to the table down low.
Didn't realize Essence Brown was only 1-6 from the field because I think she had a pretty solid game and was good defensively. She had a minor injury but it was good that she was able to get back into the game.
Sierra Bell had some good moments getting to the hoop. She has a very unorthodox free throw stroke but it seems to be effective.
It was interesting to see McCombs elect to close the game with Aurea Gingras. I think the she is the right player for late game situations as she is very calm with the ball in her hands. She made some really nice dump off passes in the game and was strong defensively.
Sheslanie Laureano (glad she has recovered from an offseason injury) is certainly not afraid to shoot the ball. I fully expect her to lead the team in usage when she's on the court. She seemingly let it fly every time she touched the ball - it might have been a product of her being the leader at her JUCO. Laureano has a good stroke so I would expect better shooting performances moving forward. It is always good to have another option offensively given this team needs it. She can also create her own shot.
The star of the game was Tyasia Moore. She is a very versatile player who can play multiple positions and score from anywhere on the court. Defensively, she battled down low and finished with a double-double (18 points and 11 rebounds). I think Troy made the tournament last year on the women's side and I can see why when they have a player like Moore. She is easily the most dynamic player we've had in the past several years.
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Posted by xAC 11/10/2021 11:32 am | #7 |
One game is a small sample, but enough to be cautiously optimistic. I think overall, the new players are upgrade from what we lost (more on that later). The team seems more athletic and offensively assertive.
Ty Moore was indeed in the NCAAs last year-- she is a pleasant surprise. She has a slight frame, but seems comfortable playing inside, and she has tremendous energy. We seem deeper than years past (1-8 seem interchangeable), and it was great to see Gingras get prime playing time. Nobody who played today seemed afraid to shoot.
Some observations:
1) Not a single second of playing time for the freshman (not sure what that means at this stage of the season).
2) Faith Blethen only played for a few seconds - I was really hoping the new environment would jump start her, because I think that she can play.
3) Despite the bad start, the players stayed poised. Hope that's not an anomaly.
4) Mayowa Taiwo was all over the court. I have no unreasonable expectations for this team, but I was disappointed she didn't make the list of defensive players in preseason A10 all D team. I hope she proves them wrong.
Back to the upgrades-- last night:
1) Ali Brigham had a huge game for Penn State: 20 pts, 9 rebs, and 8-13 from the field. Hope she has a big year.
2) Caranda Perea had 2 pts in 14 minutes of play for Temple.
3) Neila Luma got 3 minutes of garbage time at the end of UCF game. She had 1 reb.
Next game will be a real test. Last year, at Virginia Tech, GW took its worst beating (92-57) in a long time. They were draining 3's from everywhere (16-31). Looking forward to the contrast in tomorrow's contest.
Last edited by xAC (11/10/2021 11:33 am)
