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With all 13 players returning from a 1997-98 squad that posted a 20-10 record and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, and with transfer guard Kristeena Alexander eligible at the close of the fall semester, expectations for the 1998-99 Colonials were high. The national media shared the team's high expectations, ranking GW as high as No. 8 in several preseason publications. Led by the "Spanish Connection" of senior forward Noelia Gomez and junior guard Elisa Aguilar, both preseason all-Americans, many observers believed that GW had Final Four potential. Once again, the Colonials were picked by the Atlantic 10 coaches to win the league's West Division.

As the season began against cross-town rival Georgetown on November 16, the Colonial optimism was tempered by preseason injuries. Gomez suffered a hyperextended knee, and was out for the opener. Senior center Khadija Deas and senior guard Vesna Perak were on the shelf with injuries as well. Also unavailable for duty were junior guard Marlo Egleston and Alexander, who was not yet eligible.

No. 13 GW easily handled Georgetown, 72-54, behind 29 points from Aguilar. Senior forward Mandisa Turner played what turned out to be the best game of the season for her, scoring 19 points. Junior guard Chasity Myers also tallied a season high with 15 points.

William & Mary was the next victim three days later, and GW improved to 2-0 with a 69-48 victory behind sophomore forward Petra Dubovcova's 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Aguilar had 16 points and nine assists. Aguilar was subsequently named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after her stellar week.

Next up was a trip to Boston for the Reebok Challenge and a meeting with No. 20 Florida in the Fleet Center. Gomez returned to the lineup for the 13th-ranked Colonials, but was ineffective after a three-week layoff with the knee injury. Aguilar gave an all-American performance with 25 points, and Turner added 11 as GW fell short, 82-59, against the Lady Gators.

After GW slipped to No. 22 in the AP poll with the Florida loss, the Colonials headed to the Seton Hall Invitational. GW bounced back with impressive victories over Bowling Green (89-61) and host Seton Hall (74-51), and claimed the tournament championship. Gomez returned to form, scoring 45 points in the two games and was named the tournament MVP. Dubovcova and Aguilar were also named to the all-tournament team.

The No. 22 Colonials returned home to Smith Center to entertain No. 13 Arkansas, a 1998 Final Four participant, in a top-25 clash. Gomez was in prime all-America form, and dropped 21 points on the Lady 'Backs while shooting over 71% from the floor, and added 10 rebounds. Deas, playing in her third game since returning from injury, scored 12 points, as did Aguilar. Dubovcova scored 11 points on 80% shooting from the field. With a 74-56 whipping of Arkansas, GW was 5-1 on the season and moved back to No. 13 in the AP poll. Not surprisingly, Gomez received her first Atlantic 10 Player of the Week recognition for her effort against Arkansas.

But next up was American, four days after the emotional Arkansas win. GW was a step slow against the Eagles, and lost 81-75 to AU. The Colonials bounced back three days later, opening the Atlantic 10 schedule with a 69-48 win over visiting La Salle in Smith Center. Heading into the exam break, GW was 6-2, the best start to a season since the 1995 campaign. Almost everyone was healthy, and newcomer Kristeena Alexander would be eligible for the next contest.

Perennial national power Vanderbilt ventured into Smith Center three days before Christmas. The two squads slugged it out in a hard-fought contest. Aguilar hit a 26-foot trey with 13 seconds left in regulation to give GW a 62-61 lead, but a Vandy free throw with three seconds left sent the game into overtime. With one overtime not enough, Vandy held on and defeated GW 80-72 in double overtime. The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for GW given the intensity and emotion of the contest.

GW bounced back after Christmas with an 82-62 win over visiting Rice. GW was 7-3, and headed into the New Year with a road trip to Philadelphia to dive into the Atlantic 10 Conference schedule.

St. Joseph's hosted No. 25 GW on January 2, and held on for a 62-59 victory. Alexander had 19 points in a breakout game for the newcomer, but the rest of the team was flat. Gomez was held to a season-low two points. The loss knocked GW out of the top-25 poll.

Temple hosted GW two days later, and the Colonials took out their frustrations by whipping the Owls 91-55. Gomez tallied 24 points and Aguilar had 23 as GW improved to 8-4.

Returning home to the friendly confines of Smith Center for the next three games, GW faced Massachusetts on January 7. Gomez scored 21 points and Turner recorded 14 points as GW easily defeated Umass 82-54. Gomez was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second time of the season.

On January 10, undefeated Virginia Tech visited Smith Center for a nationally televised game on ESPN2. Gomez scored 22 points and Aguilar recorded 16 points, but it wasnt enough as the Hokies claimed a 74-65 victory. Over 3,000 fans attended the game, setting a regular-season game attendance record for the women. Compounding the loss was the fact that the game turned out to be Khadija Deas' last game of the season (except for six minutes in a cameo performance on Senior Day) due to a herniated disc in her neck.

GW closed out the home stand with an 86-65 win over Duquesne. Gomez tied her career high with 32 points, and was subsequently named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the third time of the season.

GW knocked off Fordham (84-54) on the road, St. Bonaventure (91-41) at home and La Salle (84-58) on the road to improve to 13-5, 7-2 in the Atlantic 10. Gomez was once again named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, the fourth time of the season and third time in four weeks.

Stepping out of the conference, GW traveled to Raleigh, NC, to face 1998 Final Four participant N.C. State. The Lady Wolfpack pulled out an 85-72 win behind a strong first half run. Gomez led all scorers with 28 points, the 11th time in 19 games she led the Colonials.

GW headed back into Atlantic 10 action with a 13-6, 7-2 record. GW got by Dayton, 67-54, on February 5. But the Colonials lost second-leading scorer Aguilar to a stress fracture in her ankle.

Two days later, a tough Xavier squad ventured into Smith Center. The Musketeers were the only team in the nation to defeat Virginia Tech, and almost knocked off the Hokies in Blacksburg as well. But GW was not intimidated and pounded Xavier, 99-64, in easily the Colonials best performance of the season. GW's inside game was working (Gomez had 21 points, Dubovcova scored 20 points, Turner tallied 14 points), as was the perimeter game (Alexander had 18 points, Egleston scored 10 points). GW's 99 points were the most GW tallied since beating St. Bonaventure 116-88 on January 28, 1995.

GW ventured to Ohio the following weekend for rematches with Dayton and Xavier, still without the services of Aguilar. GW handled Dayton, 77-52, behind 23 points from Gomez and 22 points from Dubovcova. Xavier exacted revenge on their Senior Day, and defeated GW, 68-56. Gomez was the only Colonial to score in double figures for GW, tallying 25 points.

Coming down the stretch, GW hosted Rhode Island February 16 in the final home game of the season. Senior Day was memorable for GW's five departing seniors as the Colonials chalked up a 68-60 victory. Gomez scored 18 points, Dubovcova tallied 14 points and Turner recorded 10 points in her final Smith Center appearance. Deas, who had not played since January 10 due to injury, managed to play six minutes late in the game. After the game, the five seniors stood arm-in-arm at midcourt and sang the GW alma mater for the final time in Smith Center, and the crowd responded with a rousing, emotional ovation. Their impressive legacy on the GW home floor: a 51-7 record over the past four seasons.

For the final weekend of the regular season GW headed to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne and Blacksburg to play Virginia Tech. The Colonials posted a 66-52 win over the Lady Dukes behind 16 points from Gomez and 14 points by Dubovcova. The victory clinched second place in the Atlantic 10 West Division for GW, and more importantly, a bye for the first round of the conference tournament.

A televised Sunday showdown with Virginia Tech closed out the regular season. Tech had clinched the division and the top seed for the tournament. GW played for pride, and wanted to end Tech's four-game win streak over the Colonials. Star guard Aguilar was still on the bench.

A late first half run by the Hokies gave Tech a 14-point lead at halftime. GW countered with a second half run of their own, and took the lead on a Gomez lay-up with 10 minutes remaining. A dogfight down the stretch, the score was tied with three minutes remaining. When Alexander's 15-foot runner at the buzzer rimmed in and out, Tech escaped with a 66-64 victory.

The regular season was over, and GW held an 18-8 record. At 12-4 in the West Division of the Atlantic 10, GW was a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and had a first-round bye.

With injuries mounting, GW defeated La Salle, 85-59, in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The win advanced GW to the semifinals of the tournament for the eighth consecutive season. Aguilar returned to the court against La Salle, but was a ghost of her pre-injury self. Myers was out with a knee injury, as was Vesna Perak.

The semifinal contest pitted GW against St. Joseph's, who had given GW fits in the previous couple of matchups. The semifinal was no different. GW was unable to sort out the Hawks zone defense, and GW fell 74-56. Also falling was Dubovcova, who landed awkwardly after a rebound and injured her lower back before halftime. With the list of wounded Colonials growing, GW's plans for a tournament championship were foiled.

The team gathered with boosters and the media for an NCAA tournament selection show party. But for the first time in six seasons, "George Washington" did not appear in the NCAA tournament brackets. With injuries afflicting roughly one third of the squad, the team declined a bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The 24th season of women's basketball at George Washington came to a close. With a final record of 19-9, GW fell short of a 20-win season for the first time in nine seasons.

Standout Gomez was named an honorable mention Kodak All-American, as well as the Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10 Conference. On the men's side, GW's Shawnta Rogers also received Player of the Year recognition, marking just the second time in 23 seasons that one school produced both Atlantic 10 Players of the Year. Gomez ended her GW career with an even 1,600 points and an 18.0 career scoring average, No. 1 in the GW record book. Preseason All-American Aguilar joined Gomez on the all-conference first team.

At the team postseason awards banquet, Egleston received the Abbie Oliver Smith Award for the second consecutive year, recognizing academic and athletic excellence. Alexander received the Newcomer Award, Starr Jefferson received the Most Improved Award, Katarina Baskova received the Unsung Hero Award, and Dubovcova received the Courage Award after returning this season from a torn anterior cruciate ligament last season.