George Washington University Athletics
GW Rings in 2011 With Non-League Finale at Rutgers
1/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2011
GW Notes at Rutgers 
| | Live Video | Live Blog
PISCATAWAY, NJ - The George Washington women's basketball team plays its first game of 2011 and final non-conference contest of 2010-11 against Rutgers at the RAC Monday at 7:30 pm. The Colonials ended 2009 with a 45-43 upset of the Scarlet Knights at Charles E. Smith Center.
Fans who cannot make it Monday have a number of options for following the games:
• Watch Live Video via RU's KnightVision
• Follow live game stats via
• Follow the action and submit questions via the Live Blog
GW (5-8) enters Monday night having lost its last four games, most recently a pair of setbacks at the Miami Holiday Classic in Coral Gables, FL. The Colonials dropped an 83-62 decision to host Miami Dec. 28, then lost a 70-66 overtime decision to Morgan State in BankUnited Center Dec. 29.
Junior forward/guard Tara Booker was named to the Miami Holiday All-Classic Team after averaging a double-double of 15.5 points and 10 rebounds in the event's two games, including a career-best 22 points, six 3-pointers and 13 rebounds against the Lady Bears. Junior center Sara Mostafa scored a season-high 15 points and redshirt sophomore forward Brooke Wilson posted her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The trio of Booker, Wilson and Mostafa combined for 48 points on 17-of-35 shooting, while the rest of the Colonials totaled just 18 points and finished just 8-of-33 from the floor.
In last year's meeting, GW went on a late 13-0 run and held off Rutgers over the final minute to earn its first victory in nine games with a 45-43 win over the Scarlet Knights at Charles E. Smith Center Dec. 30. The victory marked GW's first over its former Atlantic 10 rival in five meetings and ninth win in the 37-game series dating back to 1981. Trailing 40-32 with 10:05 to play, the Colonials held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for more than nine minutes and scored 13 unanswered points to turn an eight-point deficit into a 45-40 lead with 1:12 remaining.
Booker leads GW and is 26th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 10.7 points per game, ranks fourth in the league with 30 three-pointers at a 41.1 percent rate, which is good for 10th in the conference.
The Colonials are in search of their first victory away from Foggy Bottom this season, having dropped a quartet of road games and three neutral site contests. A victory over RU Monday would mark GW's first non-conference road win since topping North Texas, 84-82, in Denton, TX, in the 2009-10 season opener - a span of 14 games.
Rutgers (7-6) plays its first home game in 19 days after facing a pair of ranked opponents away from home. The Scarlet Knights dropped a 79-50 decision to No. 8/7 Texas A&M at Madison Square Garden Dec. 19, then lost 87-51 at No. 5/6 Tennessee Dec. 30.
Rutgers began Big East play early in December with a 70-53 upset of then No. 11/12 Georgetown at the RAC Dec. 9. Since the victory over the Hoyas, the Scarlet Knights are 1-3 with losses to then-unbeaten Boston College, TAMU and Tennessee, and a victory over Division III Kean University.
6-foot guard/forward April Sykes leads RU in scoring at 15.0 points per game, followed by 5-foot-9 guard Khadijah Rushdan's 14.3 points per game. However, Rushdan did not play in the Scarlet Knights' most recent outing at Tennessee after bruising her knee against Texas A&M and is listed as day-to-day. Sykes only played one half against the Lady Vols, succumbing to cramps in the second half, but still led the team with 15 points.
The senior-less Scarlet Knights lean heavily on a six-player rotation, with 5-foot-7 guard Erica Wheeler the key cog off the bench with 9.0 points in 24.7 minutes per game. 5-foot-10 guard Daisha Simmons is the only other RU player receiving double-digit minutes at 16.3 per game.
As of the Dec. 19 NCAA statistical rankings, Rutgers ranked among the national leaders in free throw percentage (19th, 76.5%) and blocked shots (7th, 6.0 bpg). 6-foot-2 forward/center Monique Oliver paces RU with 2.7 blocks per game.
