Game 26: Women at Auburn

The #20/19 women's team visits #18/18 Auburn (12-2) this evening at the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, AL. GW (10-3) beat Pepperdine 82-68 on Sunday afternoon at the Smith Center. In that one, all five starters reached double figures in scoring, led by Jessica Adair's 25 points, five rebounds, and four blocks. The Colonials shot 20-29 (69%) from the field in the first half.

The Tigers, who were picked to finish fifth out of 12 teams in the Southeastern Conference, return five starters from the squad that went 21-13 and lost to Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the WNIT. Auburn has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by 6-4 junior forward DeWanna Bonner (17.5 points, 10.2 rebounds per game this season). Bonner is joined by 5-11 junior guard Sherell Hobbs (11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds), 5-9 junior guard Whitney Boddie (10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists), and 5-8 freshman guard Alli Smalley (10.6 points). Coach Nell Fortner is 63-43 in her fourth year at Auburn; she is 80-54 in five years as a head coach.

Auburn is coming off of a 71-69 loss at St. Joseph's on Saturday. In that one, Bonner had 30 points and 19 rebounds, but the Hawks' 12-point halftime lead was too much for the Tigers to overcome. Smalley (13 points) and Hobbs (12 points) also reached double figures in scoring on Saturday. Auburn's only other loss was a 62-60 decision at #12 Texas A&M. Fortner's squad has wins at #15 Ohio State and at #14 Arizona State this season.

This is the second-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 1-0. The lone meeting came on December 16, 2006, which the Colonials won 62-51 at the Smith Center. In that one, GW had four players reach double figures in scoring: Kenan Cole (15 points, eight rebounds, five assists), Sarah-Jo Lawrence (14 points, four assists), Kimberly Beck (12 points), and Adair (10 points, six assists). The Colonials held Auburn to 8-33 (24.2%) shooting from the field in the first half, but the Tigers had six possessions to either tie or take the lead in the second half before GW embarked on a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach.

Coach Joe McKeown's team has looked good since getting back to full strength. This is a big road test for the Colonials. I think it will be a close one, but expect GW to let the good times roll.

Steven Smith and Evan Waxman have the call for WRGW with Scott Trocchia handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 6.40 p.m.

Game notes: GW is riding a five-game winning streak...The Colonials are 9-16 all-time against SEC schools...GW has won three-straight against SEC teams...Those were against Auburn and #11/10 Georgia last season, and at home against Kentucky this season...The Colonials are 22-82 all-time against ranked opponents...All 22 of GW's wins against ranked opponents have come under McKeown...The Colonials are just 1-42 on the road against ranked teams...The only win came against #17 Temple in February 2006...GW has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last six seasons and in nine of the last 10...The current senior class is 4-7 against ranked teams in regular season non-conference games...Adair needs two blocks to pass Jennifer Shasky for eighth on the all-time program list...Lawrence needs six points to pass Mary K. Nordling for 18th on the all-time program list...Whitney Allen needs seven rebounds to pass Noelia Gomez for 11th on the all-time program list...McKeown is eight victories shy of 500 for his career...GW is 6-0 when scoring at least 70 points and 1-0 on Thursdays...Auburn is 4-0 at home this season...The Tigers' 12-2 start is the program's best since the 2003-2004 season, which was the last time Auburn reached the NCAA Tournament.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 11.48 p.m. - Here were the starting lineups:

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

Auburn
G - Alli Smalley (5-8 freshman from Arab, FL)
G - Tamela McCorvey (5-9 senior from Pensacola, FL)
G - Sherell Hobbs (5-11 junior from Huntsville, AL)
F - Jordan Greenleaf (6-1 sophomore from Morrow, GA)
F - DeWanna Bonner (6-4 junior from Fairfield, AL)

What a big win for the Colonials. Down one with just over 30 seconds remaining, GW made a defensive stop and then got a Lisa Steele three with 1.1 seconds left for a 68-66 road victory. Despite the fact that Auburn went to the free throw line 17 more times than the Colonials and outrebounded the visitors by 16 boards, GW was still able to find a way to win.

You have to give Steele a lot of credit: despite a series of seemingly never-ending injuries during her collegiate career, she has stuck with the program and was rewarded with her shining moment tonight.

This is a big win in terms of the squad's NCAA Tournament seeding come March, as the Colonials' resume will now possess two wins against top 20 teams. While there is still a lot of work left to be done in the Atlantic 10, you have to feel good about this team.

We'll be back in action on Sunday when the women host Brown. As always, thanks for stopping by.