Women's Basketball Rings in the New Year with Memphis

Tuesday, January 1

Washington, D.C.

2 p.m.

George Washington University

Memphis

12/31/2018 10:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Colonials battle Tigers at 2 p.m. inside Smith Center

WASHINGTON - GW women's basketball wraps up non-conference play with a New Year's Day matinee with Memphis at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Colonials and Tigers are meeting for the first time in three seasons after GW swept the previous home-and-home series.

LAST TIME OUT: The Buff & Blue are aiming to snap a five-game skid that covered the month of December. Last time out, GW yielded a season-high 73 points in a 73-59 setback at William & Mary. GW was done in by the Tribe's 12 3-pointers, an opponent season high. Prior to the game, GW was 19th in the nation, allowing opponents to shoot just 25.0 percent from deep. Offensively, GW recovered from a slow start to shoot 50.0 percent in the second half. The Colonials hit six 3-pointers of their own, including three from senior Kelsi Mahoney, who finished with 11 points. Mahoney was joined in double figures by redshirt-sophomore Olivia Gumbs (13 points) and senior Mei-Lyn Bautista (11). First-year Maddie Loder chipped in with nine points as well.

MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY: Gumbs' second double-figure game of the season came in just 11 minutes of action. Ironically enough, both games she's scored double figures, she's done so while playing just 11 minutes (10 pts, 11 min vs Monmouth).

MAHON-THREE: On Saturday, Mahoney extended her streak of hitting at least one triple to 32 straight games dating back to last season's conference opener at Fordham (12/31/17). Central Michigan's Presley Hudson holds the longest active streak in the nation at 51 games. Mahoney is averaging 12.0 ppg over her last two contests and has started to find a rhythm from three, hitting 6-of-11 triples (54.5 percent). Her three 3-pointers Saturday moved her into 14th place all-time at GW with 109 career treys. She needs four more to pass Karin Vadelund (1987-90) for 13th place.

A LOOK AT THE TIGERS: Memphis has played some of its best basketball as of late, winning three of its last four games including a 77-56 victory over NC Central last time out on Saturday. The Tigers are paced by a trio of players averaging double figures in Jamirah Shutes (14.6 ppg), Alana Davis (13.0 ppg), and Taylor Barnes (10.2 ppg). Davis, who has already recorded six double-doubles in 12 games, also brings down 9.3 rebounds per game, which is fourth in the American. Her 5.0 offensive boards per game are tops in the conference and eighth nationally.

Memphis is one of the better rebounding teams that GW has encountered this year. The Tigers are 53rd nationally in rebound margin and collect a staggering 16.0 offensive rebounds per game, 24th in the NCAA.