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 Cathy Joens is scoring 22.1 points per game in conference. |
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Women's Basketball Preview: GW at Massachusetts (2-26-04)
Feb. 26, 2004
Game at a Glance
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Arena (Capacity): Mullins Center (9,493)
Place: Amherst, MA
George Washington (Streak): 19-6, 12-2 (Lost 1)
Road Record: 8-2
Last Game: Lost 77-60 at Duquesne, 2/22/04
Massachusetts (Streak): 6-19, 2-12 (Lost 3)
Home Record: 3-6
Last Game: Lost 77-49 at Richmond, 2/22/04
Series: GW leads 28-7
Last Meeting: GW won the last meeting 65-59 in overtime, 2/13/03
Broadcast: Internet Radio: www.gwradio.com with Tim Miller and Kevin Barnett
Coming Up: GW will play Temple on Sunday, February 29 at 12:00 p.m. for the number one seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Quick Notes
George Washington will look to start new winning streak tonight versus Massachusetts, after their 11 game streak was snapped at Duquesne on Sunday, February 22. Massachusetts has had more success than most other teams in the Atlantic 10 against GW, but the Colonials still lead the all-time series 28-7. The Colonials pulled out an overtime win last season versus UMass, but it will take a supreme effort for UMass to secure the upset this season, as GW has only lost two conference games in a row twice in the last ten seasons.
Aside from the last outing, GW has been doing a fine job on the defensive end. With UMass scoring slightly over 53 points per game, they will have a tough time putting up a big number versus the Colonials. GW has struggled a little bit on offense the past two games, scoring 60 points in both, but they are still averaging 70 points per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field as a team.
The Colonials are coming off of a tough road trip that saw them play Friday/Sunday, while everyone else in the league played Thursday/Sunday. The travel caught up with them and so did Duquesne, 77-60, thanks in large part to a 13-21 evening for the Dukes from behind the three-point arc. Cathy Joens notched the first double-double of her career with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but only went 6-17 from the field.
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UMass was thumped in their last game by Richmond, 77-49. Massachusetts was led by Tamara Tytham, who scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but Richmond was able to shoot 53 percent for the game.
Probable Starters
George Washington
Cathy Joens, G, 20.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.3 apg
Marsheik Witherspoon, G, 4.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg
Ugo Oha, C, 13.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 blocks
Anna Montaņana, F, 12.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.8 apg
Liz Dancause, F, 3.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg
Massachusetts
Judith Zsedenyi, F, 9.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 apg
Edris Bailey, F, 11.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.9 apg
Tamara Tatham, F, 9.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.4 apg
Joyce Massey, G, 6.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg
Cleo Foster, G, 2.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg
Storylines
On The Road Again
The Colonials are 8-2 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 over 45 percent from the field, led by Cathy Joens, who is scoring over 21 points per game.
Tough Gym
The Colonials have spent much of their time in the Atlantic 10 sending their opponent's fans home unhappy. Only six of the other 11 teams in the conference have beaten GW more than once. But, UMass has had some success against the Colonials in the Mullins Center. Since the arena opened in February of 1993, GW is only .500 going 4-4 in Amherst. The Colonials lost their first game in the arena, 59-57, but won the next three. But, UMass has won three of the last four to even out the record.
Streakin...
The Colonials longest winning streak of the season was halted at 11 games by Duquesne on Sunday, February 22, but GW played some excellent basketball during that time. They shot 50 percent over the span and 45 percent from the three-point line. They outscored teams by a margin of 16.5 points per game, while outrebounding them by 2.5 per game. Cathy Joens was one of four Colonials scoring in double figures at 24.5 points per game. Ugo Oha, Anna Montaņana and Valerie Williams were the other three.
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 20.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She is even better in conference, averaging 22.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. During GW's 11 game winning streak, Joens averaged 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while shooting 50 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.
