Game 27: Women vs. Brown

The #20/19 women's team hosts Brown (1-12) this afternoon at the Smith Center. GW (11-3) is coming off of a huge 68-66 last-second win at #18 Auburn on Thursday night. In that one, Lisa Steele's three with 1.1 seconds left gave the Colonials the lead and an eventual victory. Sarah-Jo Lawrence had 18 points for GW, while Kimberly Beck had 16 points and seven assists, and Jessica Adair added 15 points and five rebounds.

The Bears, who were picked to finish last out of eight teams in the Ivy League, return three starters from the squad that went 5-23. Brown is led by 6-0 sophomore guard Shae Fitzpatrick (7.4 points, 3.7 rebounds per game this season), 6-3 sophomore forward Ashley Alexander (7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds), and 5-6 senior guard Annesley O'Neal (7.3 points, 5.2 rebounds). Coach Jean Marie Burr is 267-253 in 20 seasons at Brown.

Brown's one win was a 65-61 home triumph over Howard on December 1. Since that victory, the Bears have lost five-straight. Brown was last in action on Friday night in a 65-46 loss at Georgetown. In that one, Alexander was the only Bear in double figures in scoring with 12 points and six rebounds. As a team, Brown shoots only 29.2% from the field and 24.2% from behind the three-point line.

This is the first-ever meeting between these programs.

The Colonials should win this one easily as Brown doesn't have the talent to hang around.

Max Smith and Scott Trocchia have the call for WRGW with Steven Smith handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 1.40 p.m.

Game notes: GW is riding a six-game winning streak...The Colonials have won their last five home games and are 6-1 at the Smith Center on the season...GW is 9-4 all-time against Ivy League programs...The Colonials have won nine-straight against Ivy League teams dating back to 1980...The average margin of victory in those nine games has been 25.8 points...Whitney Allen needs two rebounds to move into 12th place in program history...Allen needs four rebounds to move into 11th place in program history...Beck needs seven steals to pass Kristin McArdle for fifth place in program history...Coach Joe McKeown is seven wins shy of 500 for his career...GW is 6-0 when scoring at least 70 points and is 1-1 on Sundays...Coming into the week, Brown ranked last in the nation in field goal percentage.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Smith Center once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 2.09 p.m. - Here are the starting lineups:

Brown
G - Paris Waterman (5-4 freshman from Newark, DE)
G - Annesley O'Neal (5-6 senior from Franklin, GA)
G - Shae Fitzpatrick (6-0 sophomore from Lynnfield, MA)
F - Natalie Bonds (6-1 sophomore from Taveres, FL)
F - Ashley Alexander (6-3 sophomore from Houston, TX)

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)

Update, 2.24 p.m. - That's a 23-0 GW run to open the game. Stefani Munro makes an early appearance.

Update, 3.05 p.m. - Colonials up 51-11 at the half. It's made even more impressive by the fact that Beck has no points and is yet to attempt a shot.

Update, 3.51 p.m. - A 98-22 win for the Colonials; hypothetically, GW's 23-0 run to open the game would have been enough. Perhaps the most dominant win in any sport I've ever seen. The Colonials shot 36-54 (66.7%) from the field and an eye-popping 13-17 (76.5%) from three while forcing 30 Bears turnovers. Wow.

It's the largest margin of victory (76 points) in GW history. The previous was 65 points in a 107-42 romp over Coppin State on November 27, 1993.

That's all for today. We'll be back in action on Thursday night when then men open A-10 play at the Smith Center against Saint Louis. Thanks for stopping by.

Update, 6.59 p.m. - More notes courtesy of Jesse Hooker, the Sports Information Director for the women's team:

-The 76-point margin of victory is the largest Atlantic 10 history. The previous record was Rutgers' 108-33 domination of Duquesne on January 9, 1988.
-GW set a new record for field goal percentage (66.7%). The previous mark was 64.2% against William & Mary in 1985.
-The Colonials' 98 points are the most since scoring 100 against Mount St. Mary's on December 17, 2000.
-It's the biggest loss in Brown history, and also the fewest points the Bears have scored in a game.