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 Cathy Joens will lead the Colonials into their fourth NCAA Tournament in the past five years. |
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Women's Basketball Preview: GW vs. DePaul (3-20-04)
March 19, 2004
Game at a Glance
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2004
Time: 1:36 p.m. EST
Arena (Capacity): Leon County Civic Center (12,200)
Place: Tallahassee, FL
George Washington (Streak): 22-7, 14-2 (Lost 1)
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Last Game: Lost 70-57 at Saint Joseph's, 3/7/04
DePaul (Streak): 22-6, 10-4 (Lost 4)
Neutral Site Record: 0-1
Last Game: Lost 74-70 vs. Marquette, 3/5/04
Series: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: GW lost 64-46 at DePaul, 12/22/02
Broadcast: TV: ESPN2 with Sean McDonough on play-by-play and Mary Murphy on color.
Internet Radio: www.gwradio.com with Sean Rose and Elon Shore.
Coming Up: The winner of the first round match up will face the winner of No. 1 seed Tennessee and No. 16 seed Colgate on Monday, March 22.
Quick Notes
George Washington has become a staple of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship after being selected for the 11th time in the past 14 years. The Colonials have a 12-10 record over that span, but are 9-1 in first round play and have reached the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite 8 once.
The Colonials will face DePaul in the first round for the second time in the two programs history. GW defeated the Blue Demons, 87-79, during the 1995 Championship. More recently, George Washington traveled to Chicago last season only to lose to DePaul, 64-46. The Colonials are 2-2 all-time versus the Blue Demons.
If GW advances, they will play the winner of Tennessee and Colgate. The Colonials have yet to beat Tennessee, going 0-4, but GW played the Lady Vols tough earlier this season only to lose, 65-51. GW won the only match up with Colgate in 1991.
Last season, GW was the 7th seed in Mideast Region and opened with a victory over 10th seeded Oklahoma, 71-61, in Norman, OK. The Colonials advanced to play Villanova in the second round, but came up on the short end, 70-57.
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Probable Starters
George Washington
Cathy Joens, G, 19.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.3 apg
Marsheik Witherspoon, G, 5.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.6 apg
Ugo Oha, C, 13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.4 blocks
Anna Montaņana, F, 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.5 apg
Valerie Williams, F, 8.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.3 apg
DePaul
Khara Smith, F, 20.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
Charlene Smith, G, 17.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg
Jenni Dant, G, 14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.1 apg
Ashley Luke, G, 12.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 4.7 apg
Sarah Kustok, G, 6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg
Storylines
It's Nice to Be Appreciated
GW received plenty of accolades during the preseason, but it is the play on the court that matters most. Thus, the Atlantic 10 rewarded many of the Colonials for their outstanding seasons. GW placed two players on the all-conference first team and one on the second team, while securing the Co-Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year awards. The following list is just a microcosm of how versatile the Colonials have been during the 2003-04 season.
Atlantic 10 Honors
Co-Player of the Year - Cathy Joens
Defensive Player of the Year - Ugo Oha
Sixth Player of the Year - Valerie Williams
All-Conference First Team - Cathy Joens, Anna Montaņana
All-Conference Second Team - Ugo Oha
Student-Athlete of the Year - Cathy Joens
You Will Be Missed
The Colonials said good bye to five players, Cathy Joens, Ugo Oha, Demetria Tipps, Valerie Williams and Marsheik Witherspoon, during the 2004 edition of senior day. This group has been to three NCAA Tournaments, a Women's NIT and won three Atlantic 10 West titles, including the overall championship last season. As a whole, they are currently scoring 68 percent of the teams points led by Cathy Joens, who could finish her GW career second on the all-time scoring list.
20 Wins...Isn't That What You Expected?
The Colonials reached 20 wins for the 13th time out of the last 14 seasons with a victory over Massachusetts on Thursday, February 26, a 19-win season in 1999 being the only time they didn't reach the 20-win plateau. The only teams in the Atlantic 10 that even come close to matching the Colonials dominance over that span are Saint Joseph's with six 20-win seasons and Xavier with five. GW reached 28 wins, along with an undefeated season in the league, during the 1996-97 season, posted 26 wins three times and 25 wins twice.
In the Nation
The Colonials, as a team and individually, have taken their place among the countries best programs. GW ended the regular season 26th in winning percentage (77.8), 17th in assists per game (17.5), 19th in blocked shots per game (5.0), 22nd in field goal percentage (.455) and 13th in three-point field goal percentage (.376). On the individual side, Cathy Joens finished 18th on the scoring list at 20.3 points per game, fourth in three-point field goals per game (3.4) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.453). Ugo Oha was seventh on the blocked shot s list at 3.4 blocks per game and Anna Montaņana was 26th in the country in assists at 5.6 per game.
It's All in the Defense
Most games are simple, score more than your opponent and you will be successful. Part of that is keeping your opponent from scoring, which GW did a great job of this season. In 18 of their 29 games, the Colonials held the opposition under 40 percent shooting, including 12 games under 35 percent shooting. They also held teams to less than 55 points 10 times. For a team that shoots over 45 percent from the field, it has been their commitment to defense that has brought head coach Joe McKeown another 20-win season.
