George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball To Entertain No. 7 Rutgers Saturday Night
12/28/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON, DC -- Seventh-ranked Rutgers visits George Washington Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. as the Colonials and Scarlet Knights renew an old rivalry. The matchup also features two of the best guards in the nation, GW's Elisa Aguilar and Rutgers' Tasha Pointer, and two of the best coaches in the nation with GW's Joe McKeown and Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer. Additionally, GW will attempt to record the 400th victory of the women's basketball program at the University.
The game marks the 30th contest in the series between the schools. The GW/Rutgers matchups were always fierce battles when Rutgers was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the two schools were among the conference powerhouse teams. Rutgers departed the Atlantic 10 Conference for the Big East Conference after the 1994-95 season.
GW (2-2) and Rutgers (3-1) squared off in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament three times with GW winning two of the battles, including the last meeting between the teams on March 11, 1995, which GW won 82-59 to claim the Colonials' second A-10 tournament championship.
Rutgers leads the overall series against GW 23-6. However, GW Head Coach Joe McKeown possesses a 6-9 record against the Scarlet Knights.
GW enters the contest after losing the championship game of the SMU Thanksgiving tournament last weekend to the host Mustangs, 77-62, in Dallas. Plaugued by sub-par shooting (42.6%), a season-high for turnovers (24) and an offense that seemed to lack rhythm and crispness, the Colonials will attempt to regroup against a tough Rutgers squad.
Senior All-American guard Aguilar leads GW with 13.3 points per game and 2.5 assists per game. Aguilar is a deadly three-point shooter, connecting on 13-36 (36.1%) of her attempts this season to lead the team.
Rutgers ventures into Smith Center after posting a 46-35 victory over Ohio State Wednesday night in Columbus, OH. Junior guard Pointer and sophomore guard Christina Fowler led the Scarlet Knights with 11 points apiece, and Pointer added 10 rebounds to record a double-double. The Buckeyes' 35 points were thelowest offensive production since they scored 35 points versus Massachusetts on Jan. 9, 1992.
All-America candidate Pointer leads Rutgers with 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Pointer is shooting a strong 54.1% (20-37) from the field, and also leads the Scarlet Knights with 14 assists in the four games.
Rutgers' coach Stringer is two wins shy of recording her 600th career victory. In her fifth year at Rutgers and 28th season overall, Stringer posts a 598-184 career record. The three-time national coach of the year will become just the third women's basketball coach to reach the 600 career victories milestone. Texas' Jody Conradt (727) and Tennessee's Pat Summitt (697) are the only other coaches to reach the coaching plateau. GW has a nationally prominent head coach of their own in McKeown. McKeown ranks 16th on the list of winningest active women's basketball coaches with a 294-107 career record in his 14th season. McKeown, a two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, was nominated twice for national coach of the year recognition.
GW is no stranger to ranked opponents, defeating No. 13 Arkansas, 74-56, in Smith Center Dec. 5, 1998. The Colonials also knocked off No. 23 Tulane, 81-67, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Smith Center on March 17, 1997, enroute to the East Region championship game. That same season GW defeated Western Kentucky at home, 88-63, on Feb. 8, 1997. The highest ranked opponent that GW has ever defeated was No. 4 North Carolina, 55-46, on March 22, 1997 in Columbia, SC, in the NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal.
One element going in GW's favor is home court advantage. The Colonials are 66-8 (89.2%) over the past six seasons in Smith Center.
