Wednesday, March 10
Richmond, VA
4 p.m.
George Washington University
9-13,5-9Atlantic 10
62
vs
56
No. 14 George Mason
3-19,0-14Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
F
George Mason
19
13
13
11
56
George Washington
19
18
11
14
62
Women's Basketball Outlasts George Mason, 62-56
3/10/2021 6:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Taiwo and Nikitinaite spur first-round victory
RICHMOND, Va. - March arrived in full force in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship as GW women's basketball survived an upset bid from Revolutionary Rival George Mason, 62-56, to advance to the second round on Thursday night vs. No. 6 seed Richmond at 8 p.m.
The Colonials had dispatched of the Patriots twice in the regular season, including a 29-point win just 10 days ago at the Smith Center. But from the outset, Mason came to play, canning five 3-pointers in the opening quarter to set the tone for a 40-minute battle.
GW remained poised despite the hot start from its foe and went into the locker room with a 37-32 lead thanks to a half-ending 11-2 run over the final four minutes.
The Buff & Blue extended the lead to as many as seven, 41-34, but Mason came back to eventually take the lead with six minutes left, 51-50.
GW buckled down and reassumed control of the game with a 6-0 spurt over the next two minutes. Jasmine Whitney and Mayowa Taiwo hit four free throws in the final two minutes, and Mason was held to just two field goals after taking the lead.
With Neila Luma and Ali Brigham battling foul trouble for the most of the game, it was Taiwo and Gabby Nikitinaite that spurred GW to the victory. Nikitnaite, who came in averaging 16.0 ppg in two games against Mason, hit the mark on the nose thanks to a quartet of 3-pointers.
Taiwo picked the perfect time for her first double-digit effort of the season, pouring in 17 points, more than double her previous season-best of eight. The 2020 All-Rookie team selection finished a rebound shy of a double-double and also added three swipes.
For good measure, Brigham was an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor, adding 13 points, nine of which came after halftime.
The Colonials will look to become the first No. 11 seed to advance to the quarterfinals since 2012 on Thursday night, taking on a Richmond squad that won both regular season matchups.
The Colonials had dispatched of the Patriots twice in the regular season, including a 29-point win just 10 days ago at the Smith Center. But from the outset, Mason came to play, canning five 3-pointers in the opening quarter to set the tone for a 40-minute battle.
GW remained poised despite the hot start from its foe and went into the locker room with a 37-32 lead thanks to a half-ending 11-2 run over the final four minutes.
The Buff & Blue extended the lead to as many as seven, 41-34, but Mason came back to eventually take the lead with six minutes left, 51-50.
GW buckled down and reassumed control of the game with a 6-0 spurt over the next two minutes. Jasmine Whitney and Mayowa Taiwo hit four free throws in the final two minutes, and Mason was held to just two field goals after taking the lead.
With Neila Luma and Ali Brigham battling foul trouble for the most of the game, it was Taiwo and Gabby Nikitinaite that spurred GW to the victory. Nikitnaite, who came in averaging 16.0 ppg in two games against Mason, hit the mark on the nose thanks to a quartet of 3-pointers.
Taiwo picked the perfect time for her first double-digit effort of the season, pouring in 17 points, more than double her previous season-best of eight. The 2020 All-Rookie team selection finished a rebound shy of a double-double and also added three swipes.
For good measure, Brigham was an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor, adding 13 points, nine of which came after halftime.
The Colonials will look to become the first No. 11 seed to advance to the quarterfinals since 2012 on Thursday night, taking on a Richmond squad that won both regular season matchups.
Team Stats
GMU
GWU
FG%
.417
.415
3FG%
.444
.389
FT%
.889
.733
RB
30
31
TO
15
10
STL
4
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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