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 Cathy Joens is averaging 19 points and almost seven rebounds a game in conference play. |
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Women's Basketball Preview: Duquesne at GW (1-29-04)
Jan. 29, 2004
Game at a Glance
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Arena (Capacity): Smith Center (5,000)
Place: Washington, DC
George Washington (Streak): 12-5, 5-1 (Won 4)
Home Record: 5-3
Last Game: Won 73-61 at St. Bonaventure, 1/23/04
Duquesne(Streak): 10-8, 5-2 (Won 6)
Road Record: 4-5
Last Game: Won 62-61 at Fordham, 1/24/04
Series: GW leads 40-4
Last Meeting: GW won 76-58 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, 3/7/03
Broadcast: Internet Radio: www.gwradio.com with Maggie Gray and Brian Cheung
Coming Up: GW will play the second game of a three-game home stand, when they face La Salle on Saturday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m.
Quick Notes
George Washington and Duquesne meet this evening in Washington, DC to play a critical game as far as the Atlantic 10 West is concerned. GW stands atop the division at 5-1, but Duquesne is right on their heels at 5-2. The Colonials have dominated the 20-year series with the Dukes, having won 40 of the 44 matchups, with Duquesne's last win coming in 1994. GW is currently on a four-game winning streak and will match their season's longest streak of five with a victory over the Dukes.
The Colonials have been putting the ball in the basket of late, averaging 81.3 points per game over their last four. Duquesne has had a difficult time stopping opponents, while allowing almost 71 points a game, so GW has a chance to continue their hot shooting. On the other hand, Duquesne is shooting under 40 percent on the season, which should make it tough for the Dukes to score considering GW is holding teams under 38 percent on the year.
GW earned their fourth victory in-a-row by defeating St. Bonaventure, 73-61, on Friday, January 23. The Colonials were led by Cathy Joens, who continued her hot streak with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. GW also got major contributions from Ugo Oha, who had 18 points and four blocks, and Anna Montaņana, who had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
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Duquesne won their second straight in a nail-biter over Fordham, 62-61, on Saturday, January 24. Leading-scorer Candace Futrell was held 10 points below her average with 11, but Nicole Sinclair scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Maria Stankevich also had a nice game for the Dukes with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Probable Starters
George Washington
Cathy Joens, G, 18.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.6 apg
Marsheik Witherspoon, G, 5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 apg
Ugo Oha, C, 13.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.6 blocks
Anna Montaņana, F, 12.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.1 apg
Liz Dancause, F, 4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg
Duquesne
Nicole Sinclair, F, 8.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.7 apg
Maria Stankevich, C, 7.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.2 blocks
Aiga Bautre, G, 7.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg
Shiri Sharon, G, 9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.5 apg
Candace Futrell, G, 21.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
Storylines
Tops In the Nation
Guard Cathy Joens is looking like the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as GW moves through conference play, averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. She is one of only three players in the country to be averaging over 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Joens has complimented her strong offensive work with great defense, as she is averaging 2 steals per game as well. If she continues to mix her scoring talent with an excellent floor game, she will be even more dangerous than she was last season.
Atop the A-10
The Colonials have dominated the Atlantic 10 in recent history, and this year seems to be no different, when you look at the statistics from conference games. GW currently leads the conference in nine categories, including the all-imporant field goal percentage offense (.487) and field goal percentage defense (.349) categories. The Colonials are scoring the most out of any team at 73.7 points per game, thanks to their willingness to share the ball (19 assists per game). They've also been taking care of the ball and are leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.34.
R-E, R-E-B, R-E-B-O-U-N-D, REBOUND
For the first time all season, the Colonials are averaging more rebounds than their opponent. Not coincidentally, GW is also on a four-game winning streak. During the four games, the Colonials have outrebounded their opponent by a margin of 5.5 rebounds per contest. GW has done a great job of holding teams to one shot and currently leads the Atlantic 10 in defensive rebounding at 27.6 per game.
Sweet Home Smith Center
The Colonials have been notoriously strong over the past few seasons playing in the friendly confines of Smith Center. They are currently 5-3 on the season, which is uncommon since you have to go all the way back to the 1997-98 season to find a Colonials team that lost more than two games on their own court. GW hadn't lost a conference home game since 1999, before dropping their conference opener to Saint Joseph's on Saturday, January 10, but they got back on track by shooting 64 percent in a decisive victory over Richmond on January 16.
The Key (Figures) To Success
So far this season for GW, it's been real simple. Score 70 or more points and the Colonials are undefeated. Shoot 45 percent or higher and the Colonials are undefeated. GW is 9-0 when they score in the 70s and 7-0 when they shoot 45 percent or better. Their defense is making it so that if their shots are falling, they are unbeatable. Thus, it is imperative that the Colonials run their offense, use each other and take good shots, and the wins will continue to pile up.
