Posted by xAC  11/14/2024 10:15 am | #1 |
Next up: Ohio University Bobcats
Conference: Mid-American Conference (MAC)
Time: November 16, 2024; 12PM ET
Venue: Convocation Center; Athens OH
2023-24 Record: 11-19 (8-10 in MAC – 7th Place)
2025 Projection: 6th (tie)
Current Record: 0-2
Common Opponents: Georgia Southern, Miami of Ohio, St. Louis
Last Time Out: 74-57 loss to GW in 2022-23 (at GW)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: The Revs hit the road on Saturday to take on the Ohio University Bobcats in Athens, OH. Last season, the Bobcats finished in the middle of the pack in the MAC, and are projected to do so again this year. They come into this contest with two early season losses, one to Georgia Southern, a team that GW will play next week on November 23rd. In their two losses, Ohio has put up an average of 60 points per game, while shooting 34% from the field and 25.4% from beyond the arc. Defense has been an issue, as they have allowed 82 points in each of their two losses. The Bobcats’ best player, Jayla McClure (12.6 ppg in the 2023-24 season), has yet to suit up this season. She was a preseason All-MAC 2nd Team selection. In her absence, guards Bailey Tabeling (15.5 ppg) and Kennedi Watkins (14.0 ppg) are leading the way.
About the game: Ohio could be a different if McClure plays, but not enough to cover up their defensive deficiencies. The Revs’ victory against an outmanned VUL team on Monday demonstrated the team’s offensive inconsistency in the early season. After a couple of slow starts, the Revs need to lock in early, especially defensively, and move the ball around on offense to get and take better shots in the early moments of the game. In the Bobcats’ first two games, Ohio has taken 67 3-point attempts, so GW has to mind the perimeter on defense. Individually, the team is going through some growing pains. Mott and Planes Fortuny have been adequate on the offensive side of the ball. Andrews and Reynolds seem to still be finding their way and have shown a lot of potential. Lewis has been struggling on offense, shooting only 22% from the field while logging a team-high 32 minutes per game, but her defense and rebounding (6.7 rpg) have been solid. Sims has had some good stretches of play. The bench has been adequate so far this season thanks to some big games from Planes Fortuny and Diala. Calisto has been solid, especially defensively. Engel has worked hard to get open, but needs to knock down some shots. This game boils down to whether GW’s offense can consistently take advantage of the Bobcats’ defensive shortcomings and keep Ohio from over-performing from beyond the arc on defense.
|
Posted by PKGW 11/16/2024 2:18 pm | #2 |
….40 points??!!!
|
Posted by xAC 11/16/2024 2:54 pm | #3 |
Final Result: GW struggles, loses to Ohio 52-40.
Another game, another terrible start for GW. The offense was stagnant, resulting in 3 turnovers in the first 4 possessions. In the first 5 minutes, the Revs could only manage a 3-pointer from Andrews, and trailed 7-3 at the first official timeout. Things got worse after the timeout, as GW finished with 8 turnovers in the 1st quarter and shot only 3-11 from the field. GW trailed Ohio 13-7 after one period. The nightmare continued for GW in the 2nd quarter, as poor shooting and more turnovers let Ohio surge to a 20-11 lead with 4:51 left in the half. In the final minutes of the 2nd quarter, the Revs could only trim the lead to 24-18 at halftime. GW was 8-28 from the field (1-13 from 3-point range) and had 12 turnovers in what was one of the worst played halves in recent memory. Andrews had 7 points for GW and Lewis had 7 boards. Anyssa Jones led the Bobcats with 6 points. GW’s offensive struggles continued to start the 3rd period and Ohio extended the lead to 35-24 with 4:45 left in the quarter. GW could only shave 2 points off the lead by the end of the period and trailed 41-32 going into the 4th. At this point GW was only 2-21 from beyond the arc. More careless ball handling and empty offensive possessions helped Ohio increase their lead to 48-34 with 5:10 left in the game. Despite a prolonged scoring drought by Ohio in the latter stages of the quarter, the Bobcats managed to end the game on top at 52-40. The Revs were led by Calisto’s 11 points and Planes Fortuny had 10 points. Kate Dennis had 15 points, followed by 12 points from Tabeling.
This was an embarrassing defeat for GW. After holding the Bobcats to 29% from the field (5-24 from 3-point range), the Revs lost by 12 points. GW’s offense was atrocious. Their offensive line was 17-63 (27%) from the field, 2-26 (7.7%) from 3-point range, 4-14 (28.6%) on free throws, 8 assists, and 19 turnovers. Besides bad shooting, the contest revealed other issues, including careless ballhandling and passing, a penchant for driving into packed defenses, and bad shot selection (sounds a lot like last year). The backcourt, in particular, had a bad day. Reynolds (0-11), Andrews (3-8), Sims (1-7), and Lewis (2-9) was 6-35 (17.1%) from the field, and just 1-16 (0.63%) from beyond the arc. Ohio’s defense was OK, but not that good. GW hurried too many shots and deferred too much to the 3-pointer. When players had clean shots, they just missed them. Calisto (11 points on 5-8 from the field) had a nice game and Planes Fortuny (10 points) was opportunistic. Aside from substitutions, the coaching staff did not appear to make any offensive adjustments, despite the continued disjoint offensive effort. The starting lineup features too many players who do not play well without the ball. Maybe a change would provide better balance and lead to better starts in games.
Towson is up next, but despite their winless record, I suspect that they are a better team than Ohio. The coaching staff needs to prepare the team better than they did for the Ohio game.
Last edited by xAC (11/16/2024 6:50 pm)
