By Cameron Mays
Four days after the infamous brawl at TCU captured the attention of people across the nation, GW returned home to the Smith Center where they took on the Manhattan Jaspers. The team was missing two players due to suspension. Despite a shaky offensive performance throughout the game, GW put it together enough on both ends of the floor to come away with a convincing 68-56 victory.
GW was without senior guard Essence Brown and freshman center Caia Loving due to suspensions by the NCAA. Freshman guard Nya Roberston and graduate student guard Jayla Thornton also must serve suspensions, but were allowed to be staggered with Brown and Loving, and will be out against Wilmington (Del.) on Tuesday.
After the first quarter, it seemed like GW would be in for a long night. Down 21-12 at the end of the quarter courtesy of a 5:19 period where GW was held scoreless during a 14-0 Manhattan run. The team was getting shots inside but was unable to connect, shooting just 28.6% in the opening stanza.
“I think with players playing in different positions today, whether they know what they were doing in those positions is something we will grow from tonight’s game.” GW head coach Caroline McCombs said.
In the second quarter GW righted themselves and showed how dangerous they can be both offensively and defensively. Redshirt junior forward Mayowa Taiwo had six rebounds in the quarter, notching 10 in the half, which was crucial in giving GW second chance opportunities. GW had three more shot attempts in the quarter and went 8-14 overall, while holding Manhattan to just 4-11 shooting.
GW notched three steals in the quarter and had seven points off turnovers. The Buff & Blue played lockdown defense, only giving up nine points in the quarter. Anchored by Taiwo in the low post, GW’s wings were frantic in staying in front of Jaspers, running Manhattan players off of the three point line and forcing contested shots inside.
Offensively, GW was spurred on by junior guard Asjah Inniss, who had 11 points in the first half. Several times she was able to pump-fake to get around defenders and drive to the basket, finishing with an easy finger roll. She gave GW their first lead since early in the half with an up-and-under lay-up with 1:37 left before halftime.
Coming off the bench, Robertson finished the half on a personal 5-0 run, stepping into a mid-range jumper and a corner three, knocking both down with a smooth stroke. GW’s bench outscored Manhattan 9-0 in the quarter, giving a huge boost to allow GW to take a slim 34-30 lead into half.
The third quarter was another forgettable offensive performance from GW, which was only saved by an amazing buzzer beater half-court shot from senior guard Nya Lok. While GW was solid again on the defensive end, they struggled to put up points, shooting 4-15 in the quarter. In the third GW let it fly from three, shooting 12 overall in the quarter, but only connecting on three of them. Again GW outrebounded Manhattan, especially on the offensive boards, giving them more chances to score.
“Defense is definitely our identity, we have improved our offense, and so it’s still learning when to take some of those shots.” McCombs said. “And when we don’t need to take those shots is something we are still figuring out. One thing we talked about after the game was that the three ball wasn’t great for us, but we were still able to have a great second half defensively which was able to propel us.”
Finally in the fourth GW put together another masterclass on both ends. Off of the bench, Jayla Thorton had nine points in the final quarter, finishing the game with a team high 16 points on solid 5-12 shooting.
While outstanding defensively and on rebounds, Taiwo also showed more offensive prowess than she has this year, scoring six points in the quarter and a season-high 12 in the game. She showcased solid post moves and on one move, she pump-faked and spun around twice, making the Manhattan defender fall to the ground before getting an easy layup.
“I feel like I’ve been inconsistent this season and my teammates and my coaches have just been encouraging me to stay aggressive.” Taiwo said. “What gets me going is my defense, so those games where I’ve started with a few rebounds gets me going.”
Taiwo matched her career high in rebounds with 17. She just missed out on breaking her record when a rebound she grabbed was called off for a foul, and at the end of the game, she grabbed the ball just milliseconds after the last horn sounded.
The team returns to action on Tuesday at home against Division II opponent Wilmington (Del.) as they look to move to 7-5 on the year. Tip-off is slated for 3 PM and the game can be streamed on ESPN+ and WRGW.
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