Posted by xAC  2/26/2024 1:20 pm | #1 |
Next up: Davidson College Wildcats
Time: February 28, 2024; 7 PM (ET)
Venue: Belk Arena – Davidson, NC
2022-23 Record: 14-16
2024 Projection: 7th
Current Record: 18-9
OOC Record: 10-1
A10 Record: 8-8
Common OOC: 83-56 winner over Charlotte (12-21-23)
Last Time Out: 66-59 win over GW in 2022-23 (at GW)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: If things pan out, GW will travel to Davidson, N.C. to take on the Wildcats on Wednesday evening. Due to health issues, Davidson has had to forfeit their last two conference games, resulting in an 8-8 A10 record coming into this contest. After a sparkling 10-1 run in the OOC schedule that included a single loss to North Carolina, the Wildcats are 8-8 in league play, essentially taking care of business with the bottom half of the conference and struggling to keep up with the top tier teams. Davidson is led by Elle Sutphin and Suzi-Rose Deegan, a pair of preseason All-A10 selections. Sutphin comes into the game averaging 12.9 ppg, while Deegan leads the team at 13.3 ppg. Charlise Dunn (12.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Millie Prior (9.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg) work the boards and provide an inside scoring presence. Mallorie Haines and Issy Morgan are the primary outside threats, shooting 46% and 44% from beyond the arc respectively. As a team, Davidson scores 66 ppg on 44.1% field goal accuracy (34% from distance) and yields just 55.8 ppg to their opponents.
About the game: This game will be hard for GW to prepare for given Davidson’s current health situation. Under normal circumstances, the contest would present a matchup dilemma for the Revs. With Sutphin (6’3”), Dunn (6’2”) and Prior (6’2”) in the front court, the Wildcats will be hard to defend, especially with balanced scoring inside the paint, as well as from beyond the arc. They also defend the inside well, as Prior has 46 blocks on the season. For GW, regardless who suits up for Davidson, the formula will be the same—take good shots, limit turnovers, and win the rebounding battle. Lately, the Revs have shown that the bench can be productive. With Brown, Sims, Buford, and Lewis in the regular rotation, the offense has improved, but now the starters also need to be more consistent. Lok is coming off a pair of mediocre outings and Robertson has been alternating between hot and cold. Both need to let the game come to them and refrain from taking too much upon themselves. Lastly, let Taiwo be Taiwo.
In some respects, the current rotations seem to be focusing on next season. Hopefully, this game comes off as GW’s younger players need as much game experience they can get, especially on the road, where Davidson is likely to have a raucous crowd. If anyone sees an update on the status of this game, please let us know.
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Posted by xAC 2/28/2024 9:26 pm | #2 |
Final Result: GW edges Davidson on the road 45-40.
It was slow going to start as the short-handed Wildcats could only muster 4 points before the media timeout. Robertson countered with all 6 of GW’s points for the early lead. Neither team was fluid offensively after the break, but GW came up with some scores and Sims’ and-one with 18 seconds left lifted GW to a 14-8 1st quarter lead. Despite some sloppy early possessions in the 2nd quarter, GW was able to increase their lead 24-16 on the strength of 3 3-pointers by Lok. After a Davidson timeout, GW was unable to score for the remainder of the quarter. Fortunately for the Revs, the Wildcats could only manage 4 points, and GW took a 24-20 lead into the halftime break. Lok led the Revs with 9 points, followed by 8 points from Robertson. Maddie Plank led the Wildcats with 9 points. The 2nd half opened with brutally bad offense by both sides. As a result of multiple unforced turnovers, the Revs could only manage 4 points, but still maintained a 28-25 lead. After the media timeout, things didn’t get better, and after a 4-point play by Davidson as time was running out, the teams went into the final period tied at 31-all. GW had 9 turnovers in the 3rd to let Davidson back into the game. At the first stoppage of the 4th quarter at 2:52, GW led 41-40 in a see-saw battle. GW managed to keep their composure and shut out the Wildcats in the final minutes to take a 45-40 win. Robertson hit a clutch field goal and a pair of free throws to seal the deal. She finished with a game-high 21 points. No one else had double figures in scoring, but Taiwo had 14 boards. Plank, who was injured late in the 3rd quarter, led Davidson with 12 points.
This game could only be described as ugly. Davidson, with a make-shift lineup, struggled to get any offensive continuity throughout the game. But even without Sutphin and Dunn, they had an overall size advantage and tried take the smaller GW players inside over and over with limited success. They were only able to hit 3-17 3-point attempts, but most likely lost because of poor free throw (7-15) shooting. For GW, the season long offensive difficulties continued. Only 30% shooting and numerous unforced turnovers kept Davidson in the game till the very end. Taiwo’s board work helped to secure a 10-5 edge in second chance points and going 9-11 from the free throw line didn’t hurt. Many of the unforced turnovers resulted from careless dribbling or passing. This is a part of the game that should have really improved by now.
The final regular season tilt is with Loyola Chicago at the Smith Center on Saturday. The Ramblers are much improved this season, and will be a tough challenge for sure, but when was the last time GW went into a conference game with a multiple game winning streak?
Last edited by xAC (2/29/2024 9:46 am)
