Photo credit: GW women’s basketball
By Scott Greaney (@ScottGreaney_)
Women’s basketball earned a hard-fought victory Saturday afternoon against Coppin State, 55-41, following a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Eagles (3-8) 24-6. Led by their aggressive defense in the second half, the Revolutionaries (5-5) snapped their five-game losing streak against Division I opponents.
Guards Nya Lok and Asjah Inniss, as well as senior forward Mayowa Taiwo, starred in the victory, scoring 38 of GW’s 55 points in the contest. Saturday’s game marked the first of a four-game homestand for the Revolutionaries to close out 2023.
Entering the game, the Revolutionaries tackled the absence of guards Nya Robertson, Monica Marsh, and Madison Buford, all sidelined by injuries with their statuses remaining uncertain.
Following the opening tip, GW got off to a quick 8-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game. However, after the 6:32 mark in the first quarter, it shifted to a defensive dogfight as both teams only made 2 baskets each to close out the quarter.
The GW offense continued to slog in the second quarter, shooting just 4-for-16 from the field, highlighted by an abundance of missed layups off post-ups.
“We missed a lot of layups. We were shooting the shots we wanted to at the rim; I don’t know if we were getting fouled or not,” GW head coach Caroline McCombs said.
An 11-4 Coppin State run across the final six minutes of the second quarter gave the Eagles their first lead of the game. However, a driving jump shot from Inniss returned the lead to GW going into halftime and they never gave it back.
“We kind of let them get a little momentum in the second quarter, and the adjustments we made were just like, ‘It was our quarter, and it had to be,’” Inniss said.
Whatever was said in the locker room at halftime paid dividends again as GW came out on a 22-4 run to stretch their lead to 19 with 1:29 left in the quarter. GW also limited Coppin State to just one made basket in the quarter which dramatically tilted the tide to the Revolutionaries. Similar to Wednesday’s game against Towson, Nya Lok came alive in the third quarter, scoring half of her 14 points in the period.
“I mean, it feels good,” Lok said. “You can’t really control the outcome once the ball is out of your hands, but if it goes in, it’s great. If it doesn’t, you rebound, you run and you get back.”
GW’s strong performances after halftime have started to become a trend, as they have a +51-point differential in the third quarter over their last three games.
“I think we are a better third-quarter team. Our second quarter hasn’t been the best quarter for us consistently, so I’m not exactly sure what that is,” McCombs said.
McCombs also pointed out how having all five starters on the court to start the third quarter helped spark the game-deciding run.
In the final quarter, the shooting woes returned for GW as they shot just 4/14 from the field and 0-for-7 from deep. However, the team’s defense was able to contain the Eagles’ offense and prevent a large run and a possible comeback.
Saturday’s win extends the Revolutionaries’ unbeaten streak at home this season, and the team clearly values defending their home court as they head into conference play.
“I mean, it is home, so things just go better. It’s your court; you practice on it Monday through Friday, so I feel like it’s just that feeling of having that support system at home as well,” Nya Lok said. “When we’re on the road, we’re all we got, but when we’re here, we have our fans; we have everyone who’s here.”
Coach McCombs’ squad will have a week off until their next game against Hampton, allowing Robertson, Marsh, and Buford to heal up and hopefully have a chance at suiting up. They will tip off at 2pm next Saturday and the game can be streamed on WRGW and ESPN+.
Leave a Reply