George Washington University Athletics
GW Ends Pivotal A-10 Stretch at Saint Louis Saturday
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2011
GW Notes at Saint Louis 
| | Live Video | Live Blog
ST. LOUIS, MO - The George Washington women's basketball team plays its second straight weekend primetime game with an 8:00 pm ET tip-off Saturday at Saint Louis. GW has split its two games during a pivotal three-game stretch against teams in the bottom tier of the A-10 standings, losing 73-64 in a night game at La Salle last Saturday before rebounding to beat Rhode Island, 53-35, Wednesday.
Fans who cannot make it Saturday have a number of options for following the game:
• Watch Live on Saint Louis All-Access
• Follow live game stats via
• Follow the action and submit questions via the Live Blog
GW (6-15, 1-6 A-10) snapped a program-worst 11-game losing skid with Wednesday's victory over URI at Charles E. Smith Center. The 35 points were the fewest allowed this season by the Colonials, who remained unbeaten at home against the Rams in 20 all-time meetings. Junior Tiana Myers reached double figures for the fifth straight game with 13 points and sophomore Danni Jackson also pitched in 13 to lead GW.
GW will have nine players available for Saturday's game as Kye Allums (concussion symptoms), Megan Nipe (knee), Shi-Heria Shipp (knee) and Janine Davis (illness) are unavailable. Kristin Aldridge (shoulder) and Erica Chandler (foot) will be available Saturday for the first time in four games. The Colonials have been hampered by injuries each of the past two seasons after having just eight players available the final 19 games of 2009-10. GW's total production out with those four players (including Shipp's 2009-10 stats): 24.2 ppg, 12.9 rpg and 4.2 apg.
Tiana Myers has averaged 18.0 points on 50 percent shooting (15-30) in two career games against Saint Louis. Over her last five games overall, Myers is averaging 17.0 points on 55 percent shooting and 5.4 rebounds. Meanwhile, Danni Jackson has ramped up contributions since missing the Jan. 19 game at Dayton, averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the four-game stretch.
While GW owns a 21-point average margin of victory in going 4-1 in the series against Saint Louis, each of the last two meetings have been decided by just five points. Last season in DC, the Colonials cut a 15-point deficit to 62-60 with 25 seconds to play, but the Billikens hit three late free throws to clinch a 65-60 victory. In GW's only other visit to Chaifetz Arena two seasons ago, it was SLU which rallied from a 16-point deficit to within a possession of the lead at 63-60 with 1:38 left, but Tiana Myers scored two of her then career-high 17 points on the next possession and GW held on for a 67-62 victory.
Saint Louis (7-15, 1-6 A-10) has dropped its last two league games to fall to 1-6 in the A-10. The Billikens have also lost eight of their last nine and 11 of 14 overall after starting the season 4-4.
SLU ran into the buzzsaw that is Temple on Wednesday, falling to the Owls, 82-48, in Philadelphia. Temple shot 56 percent, making 9-of-11 three pointers, en route to its ninth straight win, while Saint Louis shot only 31.6 percent and made 1-of-14 threes.
The Billikens' lone A-10 victory came at home against Fordham, 64-54, on Jan. 25. SLU followed that home win with a 75-38 loss to Charlotte Jan. 30 at Chaifetz Arena. SLU has averaged just 43 points in losing by a combined 71 points the past two games.
2010 Atlantic 10 Sixth Player of the Year and preseason Second Team All-A-10 forward Lauren Woods averages 10.8 points and is the lone Billiken to average double figures. Sophomore guard Jacy Bradley chips in 8.0 points per game in a reserve role off the bench, while freshman forward Lorreal Jones is the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 caroms per game.
Saint Louis is 5-6 this season and 18-21 at three-year old Chaifetz Arena, which opened prior to the 2008-09 season.
SLU allows 65.4 points per game on a league-worst 43.4 percent field goal percentage defense. At the same time, the Bills rank fifth in the A-10 in three-point field goal defense at 31.5 percent. This means that opponents are shooting are 47.9 percent (430-898) against SLU inside the arc.
