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 Coach Mike Bozeman and GW fell to No. 15/14 Rutgers, 57-47, in Piscataway, NJ, Monday night. |
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GW Opens Road Swing With 57-47 Loss at #15/14 Rutgers
Dec. 29, 2008
PISCATAWAY, NJ - George Washington women's basketball's third meeting with Rutgers in just over a year wasn't a charm. The Colonials closed within four, 40-36, midway through the second half, but the No. 15/14 Scarlet Knights pulled away late to send GW to a 57-47 loss at Louis Brown Athletic Center Monday evening.
After falling to Rutgers twice last season - 67-42 at home in November 2007 and 53-42 in the NCAA Tournament's Greensboro regional semifinals - GW (7-5) couldn't overcome the Scarlet Knights' trademark pressure defense, which forced 22 turnovers and led to 19 points for the hosts Monday. The Colonials have now lost four straight to the Scarlet Knights, who extended their home-court winning streak to 20.
GW continues a three-game road swing beginning Jan. 3 at No. 3/3 Texas A&M, the team's fourth ranked opponent in seven games and third Top 10 foe in just over a month.
Senior Yolanda Lavender hit three 3-pointers and was the only GW player in double figures with 11 points, but committed a team-high seven turnovers. Senior Antelia Parrish hit three first-half 3-pointers for nine points, but was held scoreless with one field-goal attempt in the second half. Seniors Jessica and Jazmine Adair added seven points apiece, while freshman Tara Booker matched a game-high eight rebounds.
Epiphanny Prince led Rutgers (8-2) with 17 points and Kia Vaughn added 10 despite each playing with foul trouble.
The Colonials managed to keep the game close in the first half despite having 16 turnovers thanks to solid shooting from three-point range. GW hit five of its first seven shots from behind the arc and Lavender's second triple of the half put the visitors in front, 22-21, with 4:52 left in the period.
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Prince went to the bench with her third personal foul 37 seconds later, but it was the Scarlet Knights who capitalized. RU scored the final eight points of the half to take a 29-22 lead into the half.
Jessica Adair was limited to one shot in the first half, didn't score until the 17:31 mark of the second half and didn't make a field goal until 16:48 remained.
Sophomore Ivy Abiona converted a three-point play during a sequence which saddled Rutgers' center Kia Vaughn with her third foul to trim GW's deficit to 34-29 with 15:02 left.
The Scarlet Knights' pushed their lead back to nine, 40-31, but the Colonials climbed back within 40-36 on sophomore Erica Rivera's late-in-the-shot-clock three-pointer at the 10:03 mark.
Rutgers steadily built its lead back 50-39 on Vaughn's put-back with 4:10 to go. GW twice managed to move its deficit to single-digits, but Heather Zurich hit a three and Prince made a 15-footer for the largest lead of the game, 57-44, with 35 seconds to play. Lavender hit her third triple as time expired for the 57-47 final.
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