George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
La Salle
Women's Basketball Beats La Salle, 67-50
1/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 3) - George Washington outscored visiting La Salle 22-4 over the first ten minutes of the second half to run away with a victory in their first Atlantic 10 Conference action of the season, winning, 67-50.
After trailing for the majority of the first half, the Colonials (6-6) took the lead for good with 3:05 left in the period, 29-27. GW extended the lead to a halftime deficit of six points, 36-30, and never looked back.
The Colonials struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting .361 (13-36), but came out of the break firing on all cylinders, and scorched the nets at a .458 clip (11-24), while holding the Explorers to a suffocating .241 (18-60) field goal percentage in the second stanza.
After allowing a La Salle basket in the first minute of the second half, GW's defense was tough, preventing the Explorers from converting their second field goal until 12:08. By that time the Colonials had built up a 16-point lead behind the outstanding play of juniors Erica Lawrence (Nyack, NY/Nyack) and Cathy Joens (Irvine, CA/Calvary Chapel).
Lawrence was active on both ends of the court, driving to the basket and drawing fouls from her defenders. The starting small forward scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in only 20 minutes of playing time. Joens continued her torrid pace this season, netting 16 points and shooting 4-8 (.500) from beyond the arc.
GW was able to rest their starters after building up a game-high 27-point lead with 5:14 left to play, and cleared the bench. Freshman forward Anna Monta?ana (Valencia, Spain/St. Maria) saw extensive time, scoring a career-high 10 points and adding six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 27 minutes, displaying a well-balanced all-around game.
The Colonials host Fordham in their next game on Monday, Jan. 7, at 7:00 p.m.
