George Washington University Athletics
GW Women's Hoops Hosts Saint Mary's on Sunday
12/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Dec. 18, 2014
WHO: GW Women's Basketball (8-2)
WHAT: Game #11 vs. Saint Mary's Gaels (7-2)
WHERE: Charles E. Smith Center (4,338), 600 22nd Street NW
Directions to Smith Center | Parking Options | Public Transportation
WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 21 at 12:00 p.m.
HOW: Buy Tickets
VIDEO: Free on RaiseHigh Live and A-10 Mobile App
STATS:
AUDIO: WRGW Sports
TWITTER: @GW_WBB | @GWGeorge | #RaiseHigh
NOTES: GW Notes 
WASHINGTON - The George Washington women's basketball team concludes its four-game homestand on Sunday afternoon when Saint Mary's (Calif.) visits the Charles E. Smith Center for a noon tipoff.
GW (8-2) has won six straight games following a 63-44 rout of Memphis on Monday evening. Naismith Trophy candidate Jonquel Jones posted her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and sophomore Hannah Schaible tallied 12 points and seven boards.
The Colonials are off to their best start in eight years, as the 2006-07 squad boasted an identical 8-2 record through 10 games on its way to the Atlantic 10 regular-season title and the NCAA Sweet 16.
GW continues to dominate the boards through the first five weeks of the season. The Colonials have outrebounded their opponents in all 10 games and rank fourth in the nation with a 15.2 rebound margin. GW also paces the A-10 in rebounding (48.1 rpg), rebounding defense (32.2 rpg), offensive rebounds (17.9 rpg) and defensive rebounds (30.2 rpg). Jones leads the way with 10.6 boards per game, while sophomore Caira Washington (8.4 rpg) and freshman Kelli Prange (7.6 rpg) also rank among the league's top 10.
The Colonials have outscored opponents by a league-best 13.7 points per game this season and rank third in the conference in scoring (74.1 ppg) with six players who average at least 7.8 points per contest. Jones is averaging a double-double with 15.1 points to go with her 10.6 rebounds, while Prange ranks 15th in the league with 12.8 points per game off the bench.
GW holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Saint Mary's, with the lone loss occurring two years ago in Moraga, California.
Saint Mary's (7-2) saw its six-game winning streak snapped last Friday in a 60-56 loss at Fresno State - a team which the Colonials defeated two weeks ago - but the Gaels bounced back with a 65-64 overtime victory at Cal Poly on Sunday. Shannon Mauldin tallied 18 points and nine rebounds against the Mustangs, while Lauren Nicholson scored 15 points.
Saint Mary's, which has participated in the WNIT in five straight seasons, represents GW's seventh opponent in 11 games which advanced to the 2014 postseason.
The Gaels lost a pair of First-Team All-West Coast Conference performers in Jackie Nared and Danielle Mauldin last season, but Nicholson has stepped up to lead the WCC in scoring with 18.8 points per game, while Stella Black is tops in the league with a .617 field goal percentage.
As a team, Saint Mary's leads the WCC in rebounding defense (31.3 rpg), rebounding margin (+12.4 rpg) and field goal percentage (.449) and ranks second in scoring (70.3 ppg). The Gaels will visit Virginia on Friday evening before heading to Foggy Bottom.
Following Sunday's game, the Colonials will take a weeklong hiatus for the holidays before opening a three-game road trip at Loyola (Md.) on Sunday, Dec. 28.
