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DePaul-George Washington Preview (AP)
March 19, 2004
From the Associated Press
GAME: No. 9 DePaul (22-6) vs. No. 8 George Washington (22-7).
REGIONAL: Midwest, First Round.
TIME: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center; Tallahassee, Fla.
The highest scoring team in the country this season, DePaul hopes to end a string of early NCAA tournament exits when it faces George Washington in the first round.
The Blue Demons, who lead the nation with 85.3 points per game, are making their second straight tourney appearance and ninth overall. DePaul was ousted by Utah in the first round last season, and has reached the second round just twice - the last time in 1996.
The Blue Demons ended this season with four straight losses, including a 74-70 defeat to Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament last Friday.
DePaul has averaged just 65 points during its losing streak.
"We want to move forward after losing our last couple games and gain the confidence like we had earlier in the season," said DePaul coach Doug Bruno, whose team started the season 8-0. "We have talented players, so now we need to bounce back and start winning again."
DePaul has four players averaging double-figure scoring, including cousins Khara and Charlene Smith, who are averaging 20.8 and 17.5 points per game, respectively.
Charlene Smith scored a game-high 20 points against Marquette, and Khara Smith added 13 as the Blue Demons suffered their second straight loss by three points or fewer.
"We want to move forward, it's not like we were dog terrible at the end," Bruno added. "When you get a new chance, it's a great opportunity."
George Washington, making its 11th NCAA tournament appearance in 14 years, is 9-1 in the opening round.
After entering the Atlantic 10 tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Colonials
were knocked out in the semifinals by Saint Joseph's, 70-57. Ugo Oha, the A10
defensive player of the year, led George Washington with 21 points.
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The Colonials had their three-game win streak snapped, but have won 14 of 16 overall.
Cathy Joens, the conference co-player of the year, is averaging a team-high 19.6 points. Oha comes next with 13.8 per game.
DePaul and George Washington have split four prior meetings. They met in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 1995, with the Colonials posting a 87-79 win. DePaul did win the last meeting, however, a 64-46 upset of then-No. 21 George Washington at the DePaul Athletic Center on Dec. 22, 2002.
"George Washington knows us since they came here last season and we beat them when they were ranked," Bruno said. "A lot of the players on the team returned this year, so they have a chip on their shoulder and they are going to want to win this game."
The winner of this matchup will face top-seeded Tennessee or No. 16 Colgate on Monday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: DePaul - F Khara Smith (20.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg), F Sarah Kustok (6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg), F Charlene Smith (17.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg), G Jenni Dant (14.3 ppg, 3.1 apg), G Ashley Duke (12.7 ppg, 4.7 apg). George Washington - F Anna Montanana (12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg), F Valerie Williams (8.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg), C Oha (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg), G Joens (19.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), G Marsheik Witherspoon (5.1 ppg, 3.6 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: DePaul - At-large berth. George Washington - At-large berth.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: DePaul - 3-8, 8 years. George Washington - 12-10, 10 years.
