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 Cathy Joens continued to sizzle in February with 32 points at Rhode Island. |
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Women's Basketball Preview: GW at Duquesne (2-22-04)
Feb. 21, 2004
Game at a Glance
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2004
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Arena (Capacity): A.J. Palumbo Center (6,200)
Place: Pittsburgh, PA
George Washington (Streak): 19-5, 12-1 (Won 11)
Road Record: 8-1
Last Game: Won 60-56 at Rhode Island, 2/20/04
Duquesne (Streak): 14-11, 9-5 (Won 2)
Home Record: 9-1
Last Game: Won 74-58 at Dayton, 2/19/04
Series: GW leads 41-4
Last Meeting: GW won 88-71 in Washington, DC, 1/29/04
Broadcast: Internet Radio: www.gwradio.com with Travis Rush and Gabe Goodwin
Coming Up: GW will play their third road game in a row when they travel to Amherst, MA to take on Massachusetts on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Quick Notes
George Washington has dominated the series over Duquesne during the 20 year history of the rivalry, going 41-4 over that span. But, Duquesne's four wins have all come in Pittsburgh, so the Colonials need to guard against a let down. GW has been playing great basketball on the road and are 8-1 so far this season, but Duquesne has played equally well at home, going 9-1 so far.
The two teams stack up pretty well on paper, but Duquesne is really going to have to focus on the defensive end to stop what has been an oustanding Colonials offense of late. GW has shot over 50 percent in four of its last six games, while holding teams under 40 percent in five of their last seven. Duquesne is shooting under 40 percent as a team this season, so they will need to focus on getting and taking good shots if they expect to defeat the Colonials.
GW won the first meeting between the two teams this season, 88-71, on January 29. The Colonials received a game high 32 points from Cathy Joens to go along with nine rebounds, while Anna Montaņana flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. A-10 scoring leader Candace Futrell had 29 for the Dukes, but took 31 shots in the process.
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The Colonials were on a 10 game winning streak coming into this weekend, but with three of their final four games on the road, they will need to focus if they expect to win out. Duquesne, on the other hand, is 3-3 over their last six, but currently sit in second place and are one game up in the win column over Richmond.
Probable Starters
George Washington
Cathy Joens, G, 20.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
Marsheik Witherspoon, G, 5.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg
Ugo Oha, C, 14.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.6 blocks
Anna Montaņana, F, 12.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.9 apg
Liz Dancause, F, 3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg
Duquesne
Candace Futrell, G, 21.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg
Shiri Sharon, G, 8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.3 apg
Aiga Butre, G, 8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg
Nicole Sinclair, F, 7.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.6 apg
Maria Stankevich, C, 7.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 blocks
Storylines
On The Road Again
The Colonials are 8-1 so far this season on the road, which is by far their best road record over the past few seasons. Over the past three seasons, GW is 22-16 away from Smith Center, which includes a 7-7 season in 2000-01. But this year, the Colonials have been dominant on their opponent's home courts, winning by almost 19 points a game. GW is shooting almost 50 percent from the field, led by Cathy Joens, who is scoring 22.7 points per game. With two of their three remaining regular season games on the road, the Colonials hope to continue this trend.
Keep on Rollin'
The Colonials are currently on an 11 game winning streak, the sixth longest in the country and are primed to continue that streak as they hit the road to take on Duquesne. The streak began on January 12 with an 81-57 victory at Yale, which happened to be the 500th victory in the history of GW women's basketball. Over the 11 games, the Colonials are shooting 50 percent from the field, while holding the opposition to 37 percent shooting. GW has four players averaging in double figures with senior Valerie Williams joining the big three of Cathy Joens, Ugo Oha and Anna Montaņana.
Eight Is Enough
Senior Cathy Joens is going to be scattered throughout the GW women's basketball record books when she finishes her career after this season. Versus Richmond, she entered her name yet again, by making eight three-pointers, the most ever by a GW player in a single game. She was previously tied with assistant coach Lisa Cermignano and Myriah Lonergan at seven in one game, before knocking down the record breaker with 15:03 left in the second half, on the way to 31 points for the game.
What More Can You Say...Joens is Good at Basketball
Everyone knows that Cathy Joens is the premiere player in the Atlantic 10, and she continues to prove that as she winds down her career with the Colonials. The reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year is averaging 20.6 points, six rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She is one of only three players in the country averaging over 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and she continues to get better. During GW's 11 game winning streak, Joens is averaging 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and almost four assists, while shooting 51 percent from the field and an unbelievable 54 percent from behind the arc. The Colonails definitely have other players contributing, but Joens is the motor behind the machine that is George Washington basketball.
McKeown 41st to 400
Coach Joe McKeown has knocked down a few records in the past year, setting the bar for victories in conference with 196, making him the winningest coach in Atlantic 10 history. McKeown also passed former Rutgers head coach Theresa Grentz (293 victories) as the Atlantic 10's winningest coach in overall play (conference and non-conference) with 337 wins in his career at GW. Now, McKeown is the 41st coach in Division I women's college basketball to reach 400-career victories. Entering the 2003-04 season, the 17-year coach owned an overall record of 386-137. With the win over La Salle on January 31, coach McKeown carved out his own piece of history in college athletics.
