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 Junior Jessica Adair led No. 20/16 GW into the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year with 17 points and 13 rebounds in a 66-56 win over Auburn. |
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No. 20/16 GW Rallies to Defeat Auburn, 66-56, and Advance to NCAA Second Round
March 22, 2008
Final Stats |
AP Action Photos 
| Game Notes |
GW Post-Game Quotes
STANFORD, CA - Junior Jessica Adair led four double-digit scorers with a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double and sixth-seeded No. 20/16 George Washington rallied in the second half to down 11th-seeded Auburn, 66-56, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion Saturday.
No. 20/16 GW (26-6) moves on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and 13th time in 15 all-time appearances. The Colonials face the winner of Saturday's second game between third-seeded California and 14th-seeded San Diego at a time to be determined Monday.
Junior Antelia Parrish finished with 15 points on 4-for-9 three-point shooting and a team-high three steals. Senior's Whitney Allen and Sarah-Jo Lawrence added 11 points apiece. Senior Kimberly Beck had a game-high seven assists, followed by five assists for Lawrence. Adair's double-double was her third in six career NCAA Tournament games.
After falling behind by six midway through the second half, GW exploded with a 10-2 run to take the lead and finished the game with a 28-12 swing to knock-off Auburn (20-12) for the second time this season.
Allen, Lawrence and Jessica Adair were the key factors to the game-changing rally, scoring 20 of GW's last 22 points, while Allen held Auburn's leading scorer DeWanna Bonner, who finished with 16 points, scoreless over the final 13 minutes.
GW led for most of the first half behind the hot outside shooting of Parrish. Parrish hit three of her first four three-point attempts to give the Colonials an 11-5 lead at the 12:56 mark of the first half.
Parrish connected on her fourth three-pointer of the half to spot GW a 22-18 advantage with 7:32 left in the period, but Auburn went on an 11-2 run and held the Colonials without a field goal over the next five minutes to grab its largest lead of the half at 29-24.
The two teams' traded free throws before Beck hit a three-pointer with four seconds to play to bring GW within two points, 31-29, at halftime.
The Tigers started the second half with another mini-run, scoring seven of the first nine points of the period to pull ahead 38-31.
GW responded with and 7-2 run of its own behind a three-pointer and fast-break layup from Lawrence to close to 40-38 and force an AU timeout with 13:41 remaining.
Auburn answered with two quick baskets, but Lisa Steele hit a pair of mid-range jumpers to get the Colonials back to within 44-42 at the under 12 timeout.
Jazmine Adair converted a three-point play in the lane at 7:35 to give GW its first lead of the half, 51-48. Sherell Hobbs converted in transition, but Parrish got another three-point play to move the Colonials ahead 54-50.
A reverse put-back by Allen and layup by Jessica Adair gave GW a 59-54 edge when the under four timeout came with 2:32 remaining. Allen was fouled on a layup with 2:01 to play to make it 61-54 and Jessica Adair finished yet another three-point play to go up 10, 64-54, with less than a minute to clinch the victory.
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