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 Senior Sarah-Jo Lawrence, pictured hitting the game-winning shot against Cal, and No. 6-seed GW battle second-seeded Rutgers in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Sunday afternoon. |
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Target: Tampa - GW Begins Quest With Rutgers Rematch in Sweet 16
March 28, 2008
NCAA Regional Semifinal Media Guide | Fan Bus Info | Ticket Information
Saturday Coach McKeown Quotes | Saturday Player Quotes
GREENSBORO, NC - No. 6-seed George Washington makes its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 against No. 2-seed Rutgers in the Greensboro regional semifinals at Greensboro Coliseum Sunday afternoon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN360 at 2:30 pm.
GW makes its fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 and first back-to-back trips in program history, all under head coach Joe McKeown. The Colonials are 1-2 in three previous Sweet 16 appearances, advancing to the regional final in 1997 and falling in the regional semifinals in 1995 and 2007.
Sunday's regional semifinal contest against nationally ranked No. 7/7 Rutgers (26-6) marks the second time in three NCAA Tournament games that GW will face an opponent it played during the 2007-08 regular season. GW defeated Auburn 68-66 on Jan. 3 and 66-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Saturday. No. 14/12 GW had a 15-game home winning streak snapped by No. 6/7 Rutgers, 67-42, on Nov. 18, in a game pitting the two highest ranked teams to ever play at 33-year-old Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. The Colonials shot just 22.0 percent and posted their lowest home point total since 1983 in the loss.
GW is 8-26 all-time against Rutgers, 2-3 against the Scarlet Knights since they left the Atlantic 10 for the Big East after the 1994-95 season. The last time the teams' met on a neutral floor in 1995, GW routed Rutgers, 82-59, to win its second A-10 Tournament title at Saint Joseph's Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
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Nationally ranked No. 20/16 GW (27-6) advanced to its second straight Sweet 16, fourth all-time, by defeating No. 11-seed Auburn (66-56) and No. 3-seed California (55-53) in the first and second rounds at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA, last weekend.
Senior Sarah-Jo Lawrence tied the game with a driving layup with 12.1 seconds left, then scored on a putback as time expired to give sixth-seeded GW a 55-53 come-from-behind victory over No. 3-seed Cal in the second round Monday in Stanford, CA. Lawrence finished with 13 points, while junior Antelia Parrish had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. GW trailed the final 37 minutes before Lawrence's heroics.
GW advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season with a 66-56 win over Auburn Saturday. Four players reached double-figures as the Colonials overcame a seven-point second half deficit. Whitney Allen, Jessica Adair and Sarah-Jo Lawrence scored 20 of GW's last 22 points, while Allen held AU's leading scorer DeWanna Bonner scoreless the final 13 minutes. Jessica Adair recorded her third double-double in six NCAA Tournament games with 17 points and 13 boards.
GW's senior class of Whitney Allen, Kimberly Beck, Sarah-Jo Lawrence and Lora Mitchell have totaled 101 victories in their four-year careers, the second-most of any class in program history (Class of `97 - 103), and are 6-3 in four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Colonials have won 55 games the last two seasons, the best two-year stretch in school history, and are one victory shy of matching the school's single-season record of 28 set in 1997 and 2007.
Rutgers advanced to the regional semifinals after topping No. 7-seed Iowa State and No. 15-seed Robert Morris at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA, last weekend. Kia Vaughn scored a season-high 23 points to lead four RU players in double figures in Monday's win against the Cyclones. Vaughn averaged 22.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the Scarlet Knights' two NCAA Tournament games.
