George Washington University Athletics
GW Athletics Vault: 1996-97 Women's Basketball
2/18/2021 3:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennial celebration, honoring the historic milestone with a variety of initiatives meant to highlight the best of the Buff and Blue, including these regular features looking into the GW Athletics Vault. To learn more about the #GW200 festivities, visit the university bicentennial page.
The 1996-97 GW women's basketball team went where no GW team had gone before or has since, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
The senior class of Tajama Abraham, Lisa Cermignano and Colleen McCrea was the catalyst for an unforgettable run.
Abraham was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and a First Team All-American after averaging 19.9 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Cermignano crossed the 1,000-point threshold during her senior season, going down in program annals as one of the best 3-point shooters GW has ever seen.
McCrea, the veteran floor general, paced the A-10 in assists and steals per game in helping the Buff and Blue to a perfect 16-0 A-10 regular season record with an average margin of victory of 27 points per game.
"From day one, we really knew each other's game, knew each other on and off the court, valued the fact that we were all different but yet we had the same common goal," Cermignano remembered. "We wanted to get to the Final Four and win a national championship, and we really believed we could with the backing of our coaches. That started from day one and it just grew and grew and grew."
It was a special season from start to finish under the direction of Head Coach Joe McKeown.
In addition to the decorated senior trio, Noelia Gomez put together a fantastic debut season to earn A-10 Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Chasity Myers was also tabbed to the conference's All-Rookie Team after averaging 10.3 points per game with a team-high 79 steals.
Perhaps the group's most memorable regular season moment came on Feb. 8, 1997: Riding a 13-game winning streak, GW welcomed No. 22 Western Kentucky to Smith Center in front of a record-setting crowd of 2,783 and made its case for a national ranking with an 88-63 victory.
The Buff and Blue would go on to win a program-record 22 consecutive games before falling in the A-10 Championship to Saint Joseph's.
Nevertheless, GW earned the No. 5 seed in the East Region and played at Smith Center for the opening two rounds, dispatching of 12th-seeded Northwestern 61-46 before topping 4th-seeded Tulane, 81-67, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
There, McKeown's squad squared off against the No. 4 team in the country in top-seeded North Carolina, led by ACC Player of the Year Tracy Reid and future Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, in Columbia, S.C.
After falling into an early 12-4 hole, the Buff & Blue put the clamps down defensively and sprung the upset, finishing the game on a 10-0 run to earn the 55-46 victory. It remains the highest-ranked win in program history.
"It was just one of those games where to this day you pull up and you remember every moment," said Cermignano, whose 290 career made 3-pointers still rank second in program history. "It's how many years ago, but you remember every moment. You remember the free throws. You remember your missed shots. You remember your made shots. It was just an incredible moment because it all just came together. It really did."
Despite falling to Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, GW finished the season ranked a program-best 10th in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll with a 28-6 record.
In November 2019, the accomplished group joined together in Foggy Bottom to take its place in the GW Athletic Hall of Fame among the greatest in Buff and Blue history.
"We had an incredible experience," Cermignano said. "From our president to our athletic director, a lot of our success had to do with everybody that was involved at GW at that time. We just had so much fun. We enjoyed what we did, on and off the court. It was just a great, great time to be at GW, it was a lot of fun."
The 1996-97 GW women's basketball team went where no GW team had gone before or has since, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
The senior class of Tajama Abraham, Lisa Cermignano and Colleen McCrea was the catalyst for an unforgettable run.
Abraham was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and a First Team All-American after averaging 19.9 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Cermignano crossed the 1,000-point threshold during her senior season, going down in program annals as one of the best 3-point shooters GW has ever seen.
McCrea, the veteran floor general, paced the A-10 in assists and steals per game in helping the Buff and Blue to a perfect 16-0 A-10 regular season record with an average margin of victory of 27 points per game.
"From day one, we really knew each other's game, knew each other on and off the court, valued the fact that we were all different but yet we had the same common goal," Cermignano remembered. "We wanted to get to the Final Four and win a national championship, and we really believed we could with the backing of our coaches. That started from day one and it just grew and grew and grew."
It was a special season from start to finish under the direction of Head Coach Joe McKeown.
In addition to the decorated senior trio, Noelia Gomez put together a fantastic debut season to earn A-10 Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Chasity Myers was also tabbed to the conference's All-Rookie Team after averaging 10.3 points per game with a team-high 79 steals.
Perhaps the group's most memorable regular season moment came on Feb. 8, 1997: Riding a 13-game winning streak, GW welcomed No. 22 Western Kentucky to Smith Center in front of a record-setting crowd of 2,783 and made its case for a national ranking with an 88-63 victory.
The Buff and Blue would go on to win a program-record 22 consecutive games before falling in the A-10 Championship to Saint Joseph's.
Nevertheless, GW earned the No. 5 seed in the East Region and played at Smith Center for the opening two rounds, dispatching of 12th-seeded Northwestern 61-46 before topping 4th-seeded Tulane, 81-67, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
There, McKeown's squad squared off against the No. 4 team in the country in top-seeded North Carolina, led by ACC Player of the Year Tracy Reid and future Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, in Columbia, S.C.
After falling into an early 12-4 hole, the Buff & Blue put the clamps down defensively and sprung the upset, finishing the game on a 10-0 run to earn the 55-46 victory. It remains the highest-ranked win in program history.
"It was just one of those games where to this day you pull up and you remember every moment," said Cermignano, whose 290 career made 3-pointers still rank second in program history. "It's how many years ago, but you remember every moment. You remember the free throws. You remember your missed shots. You remember your made shots. It was just an incredible moment because it all just came together. It really did."
Despite falling to Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, GW finished the season ranked a program-best 10th in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll with a 28-6 record.
In November 2019, the accomplished group joined together in Foggy Bottom to take its place in the GW Athletic Hall of Fame among the greatest in Buff and Blue history.
"We had an incredible experience," Cermignano said. "From our president to our athletic director, a lot of our success had to do with everybody that was involved at GW at that time. We just had so much fun. We enjoyed what we did, on and off the court. It was just a great, great time to be at GW, it was a lot of fun."
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