Women vs. URI

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Colonials finish year at Home vs. Rutgers

By Ryan Brumley

WBB Colonials will wrap up 2009 and the decade at home against Rutgers.  The Colonials have lost its last eight straight games with its latest defeat coming Monday against Western Kentucky 74-65.   The injury ridden Colonials roster has been depleted even further as Tara Booker will most likely not see any more action this season due to chronic knee pain. In her absence,  Sara Mostafa scored 18 points against the Lady Hilltoppers on Monday night and freshman Megan Nipe chipped in 13 points of the bench

This has been an incredible decade for the Colonials, as they reached the NCAA tournament 8 times and captured 8 conference titles.  They also reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament twice.

Rutgers is 8-5 on the year with 4 of its 5 losses coming to ranked teams (#2/2 Stanford, #16/22 Georgia, #13/14 Texas, #4/3 Tennessee).  The Scarlet Knights are led by senior Britney Ray who was recent named Big East player of the week.

The Game tips off at 7 pm at the Charles E  Smith Center, and as always, you can listen live as WRGW has the broadcast at gwradio.com

WBB Colonials Begin Home Strech against Western Kentucky

By Ryan Brumley

The George Washington Colonials (2-7) will take on the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers its its first of four straight home games.  The Colonials have dropped their last seven straight games and hope to turn things around tonight in the Charles E. Smith Center.  The Lady Toppers of the Sun Belt’s Western Kentucky are also on the losing slide dropping their last two games.  The Colonials and Lady Toppers have split the four meetings in the all-time series with the home team winning each time, including victories by the hosts in each of the last two seasons.

As always, you can listen your Colonials live by tuning in at 7 pm EST to WRGW, gwradio.com

Where does GW Stand?

By Julian Gompertz

After an 8-2 start, with an unblemished record on the road, the inevitable question is: where does this team stand? Using the East Carolina game, as our most recent barometer, there are two schools of thought.

On the one-hand, jubilation might have been the reaction a Colonial fan had at the four-point overtime victory against a Conference-USA school on the road after a 10-day layoff (including inclement weather and the final exam period). Then their are the irate GW Basketball followers who would most likely be in disarray over the Pirates forcing overtime against this squad when three of ECU’s five wins this season came against Division II opponents. The pragamatic answer, to where we stand, is a boring one, yet it is also the correct one. This team is somewhere in-between the 23-win team of 2006-07, and the two subsequent teams that disappointed fans across the DMV.

With that understood, there has been much to rejoice while cheering for the Buff & Blue this year. Senior Damian Hollis, has demonstrated an ability to score in multiple ways, and when he stays out of foul trouble, becomes a consistent offensive threat each time he touches the ball. He also has become the team’s closer, and that was never more evident than his ability to hit big-time free throws to ice our victory in North Carolina. Aside from his latest performance, Lasan Kromah might be the most promising freshman to don the buff and blue in years. With both his outside shooting ability as well as his uncanny knack for getting into the passing lanes, Kromah has developed exponentially quicker than any of us expected, and with improvement in both his man-to-man defense & free-throw shooting, he could be one of the GW great’s four-years from now.

Tony Taylor & Aaron Ware have made marked progress in their sophomore campaigns,  as Taylor finally seems to have a better grasp of Karl Hobbs’ offense. Tony has also become the team’s late game scorer, and seems to want to make the big play for his team with time running out. Ware has been the Colonials’ most consistent slasher, seemingly going towards the basket every time the ball is in his hands. The three-headed monster that has become the 5-Spot for Hobbs’ offense, has done enough offensively to merit their expanded role, as Hermann Opoku & Joseph Katuka have shown flashes of their potential, all the while Jabari Edwards has become the team’s best defensive forward. Guard Bryan Bynes is already earning a reputation for being the team’s best on the ball defender, while David Pellom, Tim Johnson & most recently Dwayne Smith have added depth and a renewed sense of excitement to this team’s strong start. Funny, in writing  this last paragrpah that Travis King, considered by many to be the team’s 2nd best player before the season, has been relegated to bench duty with the younger and more athletic guards receiving extended minutes.

Can this last? Well, with only three-games remaining before conference play begins, it will be tough to envision this team at 11-2 with two road games including (@ Harvard) still to play. Yet even if the team drops one of its final three OOC matches, the team would have matched its win total from last season, just two days into 2010.

While GW has not faced a ranked opponent yet this season, the team will be tested in almost every A-10 game it is in, and this year’s conference might be the strongest, top-to-bottom, it has been in recent memory. Perennial favorite Xavier, has struggled early this season, yet has no bad losses, and  victories over a ranked Cincinnati squad & Creighton. Dayton, a team that began the year in the top 25 also defeated Creighton, and knocked off Georgia Tech & fast-rising Old Dominion earlier this season. Temple might be the conference’s biggest surprised to date with a monumental victory over 3rd-ranked Villanova, to go with victories over previously unbeaten Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Penn State & a 1 point loss to Georgetown at Verizon Center. Charlotte handed Rick Pitino his worst loss at Louisville earlier this season and sits at 9-2, while Richmond has a strong resume with wins over nationally ranked Florida, Missouri, Mississippi State & Old Dominion.

This does not include a one-loss Rhode Island team who beat both Providence & Boston College, as well as LaSalle & Duquense who both were picked to finish amongst the conference’s top 5 in the pre-season polls. Will the Colonials struggle during the conference slate? Most certainly. In fact, they begin the conference season with what might be their most daunting task  traveling to Olean, NY to face the Bonnies before hosting Xavier & Richmond while traveling to Dayton & LaSalle. This five-game stretch might not produce more then one, maybe two wins, yet if we’ve learned anything about this team to date, its that they have  proven to be both resillient & competitive every time they have taken the floor this year.

So sit back, relax, fasten your seat-belts and enjoy the ride because what comes next is anybody’s guess. Just know that regardless of how this season finishes, the future is bright again in Foggy Bottom, and that is something no one can argue with.

WBB: Colonials (2-6) return to action on the road vs. George Mason Patriots (6-3)

GW (2-6) will head down the Orange Line to take on the George Mason Patriots (6-3) at the Patriot Center.  They will look to end their 6-game losing streak, the longest in over 20 years since the team’s 1988-89 season.  Due to the snowstorm cancelling Sunday’s home game vs. Mount St. Mary’s, GW’s game against the Patriots will be the first game in 14 days, following a 56-47 loss to the Marshall Thundering Herd.  Since the loss of floor general Danni Jackson in the fourth game of the season against Michigan State at the Junkanoo Jam, GW has struggled to adapt to play without the point guard and it hasn’t helped that some of their competition has included Marist, Auburn, and #5 Tennessee.  GW has improved defensively over their last 2 games against Auburn and Marshall, only surrendering 59 points per game.  But their woes have continued offensively, averaging just 45 points in those 2 games.

The Patriots are led by the 13.6 points per game of Brittany Poindexter.  She is one of three Patriots averaging double digit scoring along with Ashleigh Braxton (10.6 ppg) and Amber Easter (10.3 ppg).  They are coached by second-year coach Jeri Porter.

The game will air live on WRGW beginning at 4:40 for a 5 pm tip.  Sports Information Director, Jesse Hooker, and former GW basketball standout, Sarah Jo Lawrence, will have the call.  Be sure to keep it here for all your Colonials Sports coverage on WRGW, gwradio.com.

WBB: Today’s GW basketball game vs. Mount St. Mary’s postponed

By Greg Shapiro

12/20/09

Due to the blizzard that has struck the city of Washington, D.C., today’s basketball contest at the Smith Center between GW and Mount St. Mary’s has been postponed until further notice.

WRGW’s next broadcast will be this Tuesday as the women’s team goes back on the road to face the George Mason Patriots for a 5:00 tip.  Jesse Hooker, the women’s team’s sports information director, and Sarah Jo Lawrence, former GW standout, will have the call on WRGW starting at 4:40 with Dave Earl’s pre-game show.

The next three men’s broadcasts will only air on Federal News Radio due to the holiday break and time conflicts with the women’s games.  Tuesday night’s game vs. ECU will air beginning at 6:45 for a 7:00 game.  Greg Shapiro will join Byron Kerr for the call.  The next men’s broadcast on WRGW will be when the Colonials return home after the New Year as they face local opponent, Howard, in the second game of a double header at the Smith Center that begins at 12:00.

Continue to check here for all your Colonials sports coverage on your home for GW basketball, WRGW, gwradio.com.

Colonials Tiptoe Past Tough Test in Towson

By Ryan Brumley

After falling to the Providence Friars in 110-97 shootout Wednesday night, the George Washington Colonials managed to squeak by the Towson Tigers 73-69.  This win keeps the Colonials at a perfect 3-0 record on the road and keeps the team from losing back to back games, which it has not done all year.

The Colonials were led by senior Damian Hollis, who scored a team high 13 points and also pulled in 7 rebounds.  Freshman Tim Johnson also chipped in 12 points off the bench and sophomore Aaron Ware pulled down 7 rebounds as well.  David Pellom led the Colonials with 4 assists.

However, Tony Taylor was the hero for the Colonials this game as he managed to hit a pull-up jumper with 27 seconds left to break the tie at 69 apiece.  This jumper sealed the game as Towson missed a 3 pointer on the following possession.  Junior Guard Travis King  gathered the rebound and passed ahead to Taylor who threw a long outlet pass to Ware who layed it in for the final basket.

The Towson Tigers were led by David Brewester, Josh Thorton, and RaShawn Polk who all managed to have double figures on the afternoon.  The Tigers fell to 2-5 on the year.

The Colonials will break for exams, and then continue on a three game road stretch which next brings to Greenville, NC to face the East Carolina Pirates on Thursday December 22.  As always you can listen live to the call live on your Colonials Radio Network on WRGW, gwradio.com.

MBB: Despite a valiant effort, George Washington (6-2) falls to Providence 110-97

By Greg Shapiro

In what was truly an offensive showcase, the Colonials (6-2) did everything in their power to keep up with the Friars (7-3) Wednesday night in the Smith Center but could not find an answer in a 110-97 loss.  6 Providence players scored in double figures, led by the 19 points of Marshon Brooks.  Jamine Peterson and Bilal Dixon added 18 points as well.  The surprise of the night was Brian McKenzie who came into the game averaging about 8 points per game but scored 17 in this contest, including a game-high 4 3-pointers.  For the Colonials, Lasan Kromah and Damian Hollis were the leading scorers for the second straight game, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively.  They were the only two GW players in double figures.

Without question, the story of the evening was the hot shooting performance of Providence that never let up.  It was truly a record-making night for the Friars in the Smith Center.  The 110 points surrendered was the most given up in the 35-year history of the Smith Center.  It was also the most points a GW team has allowed since giving up 108 points to #17 Indiana in a 108-88 first round loss in the 1999 NCAA tournament.  Providence’s 16 3-pointers was one away from their school record.  Despite Providence’s dominant shooting performance from the start, GW hung with the Friars the whole way.  The Colonials managed to keep the game within single digits the entire first half until the Friars closed the half with seven straight points to take a 58-46 lead into the locker rooms.  After a 10 for 16 performance from 3-point territory in the first half, the Friars did not cool off in the second, shooting 6 of 13 from long-range in the second half.  GW had 8 3-pointers of their own led by the 3 from Kromah.

Though the game did not go the Colonials way, this serves as a great marker for the team and an important learning experience.  Against a Big East team who has the capability of shooting the lights out, GW now knows that they can hang around with them.  This was particularly important for the guards of GW who stepped up to the challenge of Providence’s full-court press.  Point guard, Tony Taylor, dished out 9 assists and had only 2 turnovers.  Bryan Bynes and Kromah combined for 9 assists and 0 turnovers.  GW as a team committed only 9 turnovers against the constant defensive pressure of Providence.

GW now must quickly rebound from this game as they embark on a 4-game road stretch that begins with Towson (2-4) this Saturday at 4 pm.  WRGW will have all your coverage beginning at 3:40.  WRGW’s Max Feinblatt will be providing the color analysis with Byron Kerr on WFED starting at 3:45.  Be sure to check back here for the game preview.

MBB: GW Colonials (6-1) look to continue hot start against Big East foe, Providence (6-3)

By Greg Shapiro

Coming off an 81-69 win at the BB&T Classic against Navy on Sunday night and a thrashing of George Mason at home last Wednesday, the Colonials look to give Providence an unwarm welcome to the Smith Center.  After senior Damian Hollis was relatively quiet the first 5 games of the season, he has come on strong during the team’s last two wins.  After a career-high tying 25 points vs. George Mason, Hollis posted 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting and a perfect 4 for 4 at the free throw line.  His 13. 7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game now lead the team.  He has been aided by the sensational play of freshman, Lasan Kromah, who is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game.  He netted 16 points in the Navy victory.

The Colonials will be facing down a tough Providence team out of the Big East.  Picked to finish 13th in the deepest conference in college basketball, the Friars have surprised many in this early season.  The main reason for Providence’s surprise start has been the play of sophomore forward, Jamine Peterson.  The athletic 6′6″ forward is averaging a double double this season, with 17.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.  He is coming off back-to-back 20+ point performances with a 22-point, 9-rebound effort in a victory against Brown and a 20-point, 11-rebound performance in a 86-82 loss at Rhode Island of the Atlantic 10.  He is far from the Friars’ only weapon, however, as the team has four other players averaging 8+ points per game.  Their backcourt is one of the best in the Big East with Marshon Brooks and Sharaud Curry combining for 28 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Though the Colonials have faced their fair share of tough opponents this season, there is no question that this Providence team will be the toughest of their non-conference slate.  And you can count on WRGW for all your pre-game, post-game, and of course in-game coverage.  Scott Trocchia and Nick Provazza will be bringing you the call live starting at 6:40 for a 7 pm tip at the Smith Center on WRGW.  WRGW’s Greg Shapiro will be providing the color analysis for Byron Kerr’s call on Federal News Radio.  Be sure to check back for all your post-game coverage.  Thanks for stopping by.

WBB: Colonials (2-6) Struggles Continue As They Drop Their Sixth Straight

By Nkwa Asonye, Jr.

The George Washington Lady Colonials’ struggles continued as they dropped their sixth straight game to the Marshall Thundering Herd 56-47.

Sophomore Tiana Myers scored a team-high 14 points, with sophomore center Sara Mostafa scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

The first half showed glimpses of GW’s offensive potential as starting point guard Janine Davis started her first game at the Smith Center.  The freshman only took three shots all game, but she made them count scoring five points on the night.  When she wasn’t bringing the ball up, her classmate Shi-Heria Shipp handled the duties.  However, despite their efforts, out of GW’s 17 turnovers, 10 of them came from the freshmen.

“You’ve got to give credit to Shi-Heria.  She’s not a natural point guard; that’s a challenge in and of itself because she’s fighting her instincts.  Janine is coming off of meniscus surgery, so you have to give her ample credit as well.”

In the second half, everything seemed to fall into place as GW took its largest lead of the game of seven with 14:14 left.  Unfortunately, the largest lead of the game would also be their last.  Marshall kept chipping away slowly but surely at that lead and after Marshall’s Kendra King (who scored 14 off of the bench) scored on a layup with 7:38 to go, the Thundering Herd never looked back.  Guard Mystee Dale scored a game-high 15 points and Tynikki Crook scored 14 and took in 8 rebounds.

“When you’re dealing with the youth that we have, the biggest challenge is maintaining the focus for the entire game. We played good basketball for 27 minutes; the problem is the game is 40.  We were in the state of mental lapse.

I’ve got to figure out a way to get my girls to maintain their intensity and focus on the game plan for 40 minutes.”

The women’s next game is against Mount St. Mary on December the 20^th, but tomorrow, the 6-1 men’s team takes on Big East opponent Providence.  Pre-game show starts 6:40 pm with tip-off at 7.  Keep it locked to WRGW for the game, great analysis, and more.