George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
COPPIN STATE
Lawrence Propels Women's Basketball Past Coppin State
11/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - Junior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence scored a career-high 22 points and junior Whitney Allen posted her third career double-double to lift the George Washington women's basketball team to a 63-53 victory over Coppin State in a non-conference tilt at Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon.
GW improves to 2-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season and the fifth time during head coach Joe McKeown's 18-year tenure. The two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Eagles were playing their season-opener and fall to 0-1.
Lawrence went 9-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the free throw line to offset a combined 2-of-18 effort from starters Chantelle John, Kimberly Beck and Kenan Cole. Allen finished with 12 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and a career-high tying three blocks. Beck converted a career-best nine free throws to finish in double-digits with 11 points. Sophomore Jamila Bates played her best game as a collegian, posting a career-high nine points to go along with three rebounds and two steals.
Lawrence and Bates combined for 10 points during a 12-0 run that turned a three-point deficit at the 16:00 mark into a nine-point cushion for GW with 10:54 to play in the first half. Rashida Suber connected on one of her game-high four three pointers to draw the Eagles to within four points, 21-17, with 4:18 remaining in the period. Lawrence again took control, scoring six points in the final three minutes of the half to push the Colonials to a nine-point, 30-21, halftime lead.
Allen scored two easy baskets at the start the second half to give GW a double-digit advantage it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way. The Colonials clamped down on Suber, who scored 11 first-half points, holding her scoreless for more than 22 minutes and limiting her to five late second-half points. GW grabbed its largest lead at 19 points, 59-40, on a Bates' lay-up with 3:34 left. The Eagles scored 13 of the games' final 17 points, but the outcome was never in doubt.
The two teams' combined for 61 free throw attempts, with GW converting just 18 of its 32 charity shots (56.3 percent). The Colonials held the Eagles to 35.4 percent shooting (17-of-48), 28.0 percent (7-of-25) in the first half. Meanwhile, GW warmed up to a 47.8 percent (11-of-23) clip in the second half to finish at 42.9 percent (21-of-49) for the game.
GW will look to start 3-0 for the first time since 1994-95 when it faces Arizona in the first game of the BTI Classic at Comcast Center in College Park, MD, on Friday, November 17 at 5:00 pm.
Notes: Head coach Joe McKeown returned to the sidelines after missing Friday's season opener versus UMBC due to illness ... Beck added five assists and now has 352 in her career, four shy of Kristeena Alexander for 10th place all-time at GW ... Sophomore Lisa Steele hit a pair of three pointers and scored seven points in nine minutes off the bench ... Bates played a career-high 20 minutes.
