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 Cathy Joens led an 11-2 run that cut the deficit to 11 early in the second half, but the Colonials fell to No. 2 Tennessee Tuesday night, 88-57. |
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No. 22 George Washington Falls To No. 2 Tennessee
Nov 27, 2001
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Shyra Ely had 14 points to lead five players in double figures, and Tennessee handed George Washington its worst home defeat in 23 years as the No. 2 Lady Vols rolled past the No. 22 Colonials 88-57 Tuesday night.
The quicker, more composed Lady Vols (4-0) forced turnovers at the rate of nearly one per minute for much of the first half and held the Colonials (1-2) without a field goal for more than seven minutes. George Washington, overwhelmed in one of its most anticipated regular-season home games in years, had 15 turnovers at the half and 33 for the game.
The margin of defeat was the biggest for George Washington at the Smith Center since a 75-39 loss to Stephen F. Austin in the 1978-79 season. George Washington was 27-1 at home over the last two seasons, with the only loss coming nearly a year ago to N.C. State.
Michelle Snow and LaToya Davis added 13 points apiece for Tennessee. The game was scheduled as a homecoming for Lady Vols junior guard Kara Lawson, who is from nearby Alexandria, Va. Lawson finished with 10 points and five assists.
Cathy Joens scored 18 points, making 4 of 7 3-pointers, to lead the Colonials, who shot 31 percent for the game.
The Colonials kept it close for about 6{ minutes. Jones hit a 3-pointer with 13:27 to go in the half to cut Tennessee's lead to 16-12, but GW didn't make another field goal until Erica Lawrence's jumper with 6:23 remaining as Tennessee rolled off a 20-4 run to take a 36-16 lead.
The Colonials had trouble running any sort of offensive set against the Lady
Vols' man-to-man defense. In the middle of the first-half run, coach Joe
McKeown tried to calm his players with a timeout, but the Lady Vols came out
immediately with a full-court press, stole the ball and converted it into a
layup.
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Joens led an 11-2 run that cut the deficit to 11 early in the second half, but the Lady Vols responded with an 11-0 run to erase any thoughts of an upset.
The game featured two successful women's coaches who were strong candidates for the men's coaching jobs at their respective schools during the offseason. Pat Summitt withdrew her name from consideration at Tennessee, as did McKeown at GW.
