Women’s Basketball Advances to A-10 Quarterfinals, 71-68

Thursday, March 2

Wilmington, Del.

5:00 p.m.

George Washington University

18-12,9-7Atlantic 10

No. 10 Duquesne

19-12,8-8Atlantic 10

Duquesne

George Washington

3/2/2023 7:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Lakstigala hits game-winning shot with 4.9 seconds remaining

WILMINGTON, Del. - Two seasons into the GW tenure of Head Coach Caroline McCombs, on Friday it will make two-straight A-10 quarterfinals for the burgeoning program.

Behind A-10 All-Academic Team honoree Mia Lakstigala, the Buff and Blue battled through four hard-fought quarters to emerge victorious against the 10th seeded Duquesne Dukes, 71-68. The grad student from Penn provided the decisive blow in the thriller, gathering a pass after a Mayowa Taiwo offensive rebound, and cashing in on a deep triple from near her own bench with 4.9 seconds to play, breaking the final tie at 68, after the contest was also tied at 66, 64 and 62 down the stretch.

Lakstigala finished with a career-high 24 points, including 6-of-10 from three — a new career-high, after tallying a then career-high 21 points in the teams' previous meeting this season, a 58-52 George Washington win in Foggy Bottom on February 1st.

Nya Lok brought her A game to Delaware and went off for a season-high 20, 11 of which came in the third quarter, shooting 80 percent from the floor while grabbing eight boards. The Lakstigala-Lok duo combined for 44 points on 17-of-26 shooting, including 8-of-13 threes, while grabbing 17 rebounds between them, in an extraordinary show that assured them the right to play at least one more game in their collegiate hoops careers. Taiwo also ensured another game in her extraordinary career, with her final offensive rebound being the one the put her officially past former WNBA Draft Pick Ugo Oha into ninth place all-time at GW in career rebounds.

A difference between a month ago and today's contest was Duquesne's three-point shooting, as the Dukes couldn't buy a bucket in DC, going 1-of-29 from long range, but today drained nine three-pointers and got three points the old-fashioned way with three-point plays on a trio of occasions.

Duquesne's 5'7" sophomore point guard Megan McConnell, who recorded a pair of triple-doubles this season, was a force all over the floor with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists despite the loss.

GDUB earned another crack at #2 Rhode Island, who dismissed the Buff and Blue, 64-47, on February 8th in Rhode Island. Tip of Friday's quarterfinal is 5pm on ESPN+.