George Washington University Athletics
GW Women's Hoops Clashes With Saint Louis on Sunday
1/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
 |  | Follow @GW_WBB |
Jan. 30, 2016
| George Washington Colonials (18-3, 8-0 A-10) vs. Saint Louis Billikens (17-4, 7-1 A-10) | |
| WHEN | Sunday, Jan. 31 | 2:00 p.m. | Tickets |
| LOCATION | Charles E. Smith Center (4,338) | 600 22nd Street NW Directions | Parking | Public Transportation |
| COVERAGE | RaiseHigh Live | A-10 Mobile App | | WRGW | @GW_WBB | #RaiseHigh |
| NOTES | GW Notes  | Saint Louis Notes |
| PROMOTION | Special Olympics Day |
WASHINGTON -- The George Washington women's basketball team begins the second half of its conference schedule when it hosts Atlantic 10 rival Saint Louis on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Center.
Sunday's contest is a matchup of the two hottest teams in the A-10, as GW (18-3, 8-0 A-10) has won 13 in a row since Dec. 6, while Saint Louis (17-4, 7-1 A-10) enters the game on a seven-game winning streak dating to Jan. 7. The reigning A-10 champion Colonials are the only team that remains unbeaten in conference play and sits alone atop the league standings, while the Billikens are one game back, tied with St. Bonaventure for second place.
At 18-3 overall, GW has equaled the second-best record through 21 games in program history (two teams went 19-2), and their current 13-game winning streak is the program's sixth-longest ever.
GW is coming off a 79-60 win at Davidson on Wednesday evening. Five Colonials scored in double figures, paced by junior Shannon Cranshaw's career-high tying 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Wednesday marked the ninth time in the last 10 games since Dec. 28 that GW has held its opponent to 61 points or less. The Colonials lead the A-10 in field goal defense (.340) and 3-point defense (.216) against conference opponents while ranking third in scoring defense, allowing just 55.9 points per game over eight league contests.
GW has outrebounded all 21 opponents this season and leads the nation in rebounding (50.7 rpg) while ranking second in rebound margin (+16.4 rpg).
The Colonials lead the A-10 in scoring in conference games, averaging 72.6 points per game while outscoring opponents by a league-high 16.8 points per contest. Four Colonials are averaging double figures against A-10 foes -- senior Jonquel Jones (17.0 ppg), junior Caira Washington (12.6), junior Hannah Schaible (10.9) and grad student Lauren Chase (10.3).
Also one of the A-10's top offenses, Saint Louis is third in the league in scoring (71.2 ppg) and scoring margin (+11.4 ppg) on the season. The Billikens also lead the conference in free throw percentage (.743) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) and rank second in field goal percentage (.423) and assists (17.0 apg), and they have been hot from beyond the arc in league play, shooting a .365 clip against A-10 opponents, which ranks second in the conference.
The Billikens, who return all five starters from last season, are led by Jackie Kemph, who ranks fifth in the A-10 in scoring (15.4 ppg) and second in assists (6.8 apg). Sadie Stipanovich is also averaging double figures in scoring with 12.4 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.1 boards per contest while sitting sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.515). Four Billikens have made more than 20 treys this season, paced by Jamesia Price's 28. She also ranks fourth in the A-10 in steals (2.1 spg) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4), while Aaliyah Covington is second in the conference in 3-point percentage (.400).
After going 7-9 in A-10 play last season, Saint Louis matched that win total with a 61-50 win over George Mason on Thursday evening. Jenny Vliet scored 17 points and Kemph added 16 to pace the Billikens.
GW is 9-2 all-time against Saint Louis, including 5-1 at the Smith Center. The Billikens handed the Colonials their only conference loss of the season in 2015 with a 79-61 win at Chaifetz Arena on Feb. 11, but GW got its revenge with a 77-63 victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals. Washington scored 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in that game, while Jones posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Price paced the Billikens with 20 points while Kemph had 17.
