Strong back-to-back games have made the George Washington women’s basketball team relevant again in the Atlantic 10.
After suffering through a brutal 11-game losing streak which saw the Colonials (7-15, 2-6 A-10) lose their first six conference games, they now appear to be onto something. With their two wins, the Colonials jumped Massachusetts, Saint Louis and Rhode Island in the conference standings.
George Washington went into its game last Wednesday against Rhode Island with more on the line than it appeared. Both teams have struggled tremendously this season with neither owning a conference win until this game.
The Colonials came out strong, taking a 12-point lead into halftime and ultimately winning by 18. Their matchup against the Billikens produced a similar outcome. Again, the Colonials jumped out to a large halftime lead of 16 and coasted the rest of the way en route to a 49-36 victory. The result sent SLU to a third-consecutive loss and knocked them out of the current tournament picture.
George Washington’s win now puts it into contention for the A-10 tournament which starts on March 4 in Lowell. With only the top 12 of the possible 14 teams making the tournament, these wins have come at a crucial time for the Colonials. With games still to come against Duquesne and Xavier, the road to a tournament birth is difficult but certainly not unattainable.
URI still winless
With the loss suffered against GW last Wednesday, a winless conference record is becoming more likely for URI.
Facing a Colonials squad that also did not own a win in the A-10, the Rams squandered a great chance to end their drought. They lost to the Colonials by 18 points and put up an unimpressive total of 35, their second-lowest scoring output in a game this season. URI also fell by four to Saint Joseph’s three days later. It was also the Rams eighth-straight loss and the 12th contest they have dropped in their 13 games.
The Rams have six chances left on their schedule to produce a conference win. Of those six games, URI’s best opportunity will come against SLU and UMass. They face the 1-7 Billikens this Sunday at home and the 2-7 Minutemen on Feb. 19 in Amherst.
Xavier scoring margin
Winning has come easily all season long for Xavier. The Musketeers are currently 19-2, sit at an undefeated 8-0 in A-10 play, and have ripped off nine consecutive wins.
The play of senior forward Amber Harris and center Ta’Shia Phillips anchored Xavier, but the Musketeers have received strong play from numerous contributors. These contributors include senior guard Special Jennings, junior guard Tyeasha Moss and sophomore guard Katie Rutan.
Currently they are second to Dayton in scoring by putting up 78.7 points a game and they are tied for second with Charlotte by surrendering 55.5. Xavier’s plus 18.6 scoring margin is the reason why it has been outstanding this season and is expected to not only win the A-10 conference title, but to also be a player in the national championship.
Matt Catizone can be reached at [email protected].
