George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
13-7, 6-2 A-10
Saint Louis
16-5, 6-2 A-10
Women's Basketball Falls at Saint Louis, 67-59
1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAINT LOUIS - Graduate student Lexi Martins posted her second consecutive 20-point game with a team-high 22 points, but Saint Louis pulled away in the fourth quarter to deliver the George Washington women's basketball team a 67-59 loss on Thursday night at Chaifetz Arena.
The back-and-forth affair saw the lead change hands 14 times, the last coming when a slicing layup by Jackie Kempf put the Billikens on top, 48-46, with :26 seconds left in the third quarter.
Saint Louis (16-5, 6-2 A-10) extended its lead to eight points with 5:31 left in the fourth and led by seven, 62-55, at the 2:08 mark, but back-back baskets by freshman Kendall Bresee pulled the Colonials to within three at 62-59 with :30 seconds to play. However, it was as close as they would get as the Billikens put the game out of reach at the free throw line.
"This is a growth opportunity for us," said head coach Jennifer Rizzotti. "Saint Louis is a very disciplined team and they know what they want to do and they do it well, and they are very hard to get out of it. And that is a lesson for us. We need to look at the film and make sure we are getting better."
GW (13-7, 6-2 A-10) hit 8-of-17 field goals in the first quarter to build a 19-16 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game but Saint Louis battled back to take a one-point lead, 29-26, with just over two minutes to play in the first half. Martins and junior Brianna Cummings both earned old-fashioned, three-point plays on consecutive possessions to close the half and send GW to the locker room with a 32-29 lead.
The third quarter alone saw the lead change hands eight times before Kempf's lay-up put Saint Louis on top for good. Kempf finished with a game-high 24 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting while Jordyn Frantz also provided double figures for the Billikens with 14 points.
Martins saw her double-double streak come to an end two rebounds shy. Her 22 points came on 9-of-16 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and two assists.
Bresee, the Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week, posted another strong game, with a game-high 11 rebounds while chipping in eight points and five assists in 27 minutes off the bench.
Cummings added nine points and three rebounds while Mei-Lyn Bautista dished out four assists without a turnover, in addition to four points and three steals from the sophomore point guard.
GW outrebounded the opposition for the 15th time this season by winning the battle of the boards, 41-32. The Colonials also pulled down 19 offensive rebounds to Saint Louis' nine, which translated to a 17-10 lead in second chance points.
The Colonials will return to the Charles E. Smith Center on Sunday for a rematch with Duquesne, whom the Colonials dominated, 75-40, on January 1 in Pittsburgh. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast by American Sports Network on CSN+.
"I am sure Duquesne will make quite a few adjustments and will come out fired up and ready to beat us on our home court," said Rizzotti. "We need that mental and physical toughness to follow through for the full 40 minutes. We need to make sure that our defense is solid for a full 40 minutes, be tough to score on and defend as a group."
