Posted by xAC  11/18/2024 1:57 pm | #1 |
Next up: Towson University Tigers
Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
Time: November 20, 2024; 6PM ET
Venue: Charles E Smith Center – Washington, DC
2023-24 Record: 20-11 (11-7 in CAA – 6th Place)
2025 Projection: 3rd
Current Record: 0-4
Common Opponents: George Mason, Morgan State, American, Delaware, and Hampton
Last Time Out: 68-60 win over GW in 2023-24 (at Towson)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Opponent Summary: The Revolutionaries welcome the Towson University Tigers to the Smith Center on Wednesday evening. After finishing 6th last season in the CAA and making a run to the final game of their conference tournament, the Tigers are projected for a 3rd place finish in 2024-25. The early OOC for the Tigers has been brutal, with big losses to George Mason and two nationally ranked teams (West Virginia and Maryland). Last Friday, they battled Morgan State (a future GW opponent) on the road, only to suffer a heart breaking 64-63 loss. The Tigers feature a balanced scoring attack led by India Johnston (12.5 ppg), who came off the bench last year to torch the Revs for 24 points and threw in 22 points against Maryland on Sunday. Forwards Khady Leye (9.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg) and Deja Bristol (8.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg) provide the inside firepower for Towson. As a team, the Tigers have scored 55.5 points per game, while allowing 80.8. They have hit on 39.5% of their field goal attempts and 30.5% on 3-pointers.
About the Game: After a disappointing performance at Ohio, the GW is a team looking for answers. The offense has been inconsistent and for moments, non-existent. Despite their losses, Towson is putting up respectable offensive numbers against top tier DI teams. This will be Towson’s fourth consecutive road game, a contest against a GW team that is 32-16 at home in the McCombs era. GW is searching for offensive consistency and will be challenged by the battle-tested Tigers. GW’s offensive flow has to improve. That means less dribbling, better (smart) ball movement, better shot selection, and early establishment of an inside game. Although just a small sample so far, it appears the Revs are not a consistent outside threat. GW is only shooting 22% from beyond the arc (on 82 attempts), belying the current GW offensive strategy, so the coaching staff has to make adjustments. Easier said than done, especially with the youth and inexperience of the primary ball handlers. Hopefully the younger players, (especially Lewis, Reynolds, and Sims) can block the Ohio game out of their minds. Mott and Planes Fortuny have to step up and assert themselves (much like Diala) on both ends of the court. Based on their contributions so far, Calisto and Diala deserve more minutes. For GW to compete, the defense has to prevent big outbursts from Johnston, and the front court has to limit the effectiveness of the Tigers’ forwards. This game is yet another big test for the coaching staff.
Last edited by xAC (11/18/2024 8:03 pm)
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Posted by dmvpiranha 11/18/2024 10:07 pm | #2 |
Thanks xAC! You also recapped the Ohio game a lot nicer than I could have given how the team played...
McCombs can not have too many more performances like that if she wants to keep her job. I'm someone who tries to find the positives, but the team's performance against Ohio was beyond atrocious. McCombs has not evolved as a coach on offense - the team still runs that awful dribble handoff and barrels into defenders. Recruiting shooting has been a challenge - outside of the Thornton-Lakstigala year, the team has been bad under McCombs. The team also turns the ball over constantly, and even had trouble dribbling the ball past half court, not to mention the number of air balls shot on Saturday. Can't shoot the three, can't finish inside, can't convert at the FT line. Forced passes into traffic. No bueno.
Also given that she is known for defense, the team has been below average there too. Ohio got plenty of straight line drives to the hoop and the team couldn't guard without fouling. The talent is there to finish higher in the A10, but the offensive inconsistency doesn't have me too confident. A big step back after the Delaware game.
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Posted by xAC 11/20/2024 8:45 pm | #3 |
Final Result: GW’s get back on winning track with 69-57 win over Towson.
GW started with a new lineup of Andrews, Calisto, Diala, Planes Fortuny, and Sims. With the new faces, the offense started out well, with good ball movement leading to 5 inside buckets. The defense failed to stop the Towson 3-point game and the Tigers took a 12-10 lead with 3:13 to go. After the timeout, Reynolds and Lewis hit 3-pointers to help stake GW to a 16-all tie into the 2nd quarter. Semaya Turner had 6 points for Towson in the quarter, while Andrews led GW with 6 points. GW started the 2nd quarter hot, and a 13-4 run forced a Towson timeout. Towson recovered a bit after a few moments of sloppy play by GW, but the Revs managed to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room at the half. GW hit 48.4% from the field in the half, but was just 3-9 from distance. Andrews led GW with 10 points and Reynolds followed with 8 points. Bristol had 9 points for the Tigers and Turner followed with 8 points. Towson’s press rattled the Revs to open the 2nd half and let them cut the lead down to 42-39. GW regained their composure, and a 5-point burst by Calisto put GW ahead at 48-39 with 3:51 left in the 3rd. In the waning minutes of the quarter, GW’s offense and defense struggled, reducing the lead to 50-48 going lead into the final period. Two Andrews baskets to start the 4th quarter forced a quick Towson timeout with 7:51 to go. After some back and forth, GW’s lead stood at 59-53 with 4:31 to go. The Revs’ defense shut down the Tigers in the final moments of the game and came away with a 69-57 win over Towson. Lewis finished with a 14/10 double-double. Andrews had a team high 16 points and Calisto finished with 14 points as well. For Towson, Bristol had 15 points and Leye had a 10/10 double-double.
After the disappointment in Ohio, the Revs competed in a well-deserved win over Towson. With the Bobcats in their rearview mirror, Lewis and Reynolds bounced back with solid performances. Lewis was the star of the game, and Reynolds, in limited minutes, had 8 points, including a 3-pointer and a couple of nice drives to the basket. The x-factor in the game (and maybe for the season) was Calisto, who finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Andrews, who led the team with 16 points, also had 6 turnovers and needs to take better care of the ball. Bristol had a nice game for Towson, with a couple of nice cuts to the basket and some strong inside moves. For GW, there was a dramatic improvement in ball movement from last weekend’s debacle. Although the struggles continued from beyond the arc (5-17), GW held a 34-20 advantage in points-in-the-paint, which was the difference in the game. GW finished the game shooting 45% from the field, while holding Towson to 35%.
Next up for GW is Georgia Southern, who is unbeaten this season. Another good test for the Revs, who are work in progress, with plenty of areas that need improvement. Can they maintain their focus? Stay tuned.
Last edited by xAC (Yesterday 8:16 am)
