By Alden Detmer
The George Washington women’s basketball team (5-5) beat the Brown Bears (6-4) in a thrilling comeback victory 53-48 in front of an electric home crowd Saturday afternoon.
However, it wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows for the Revolutionaries: they began the game with their worst first quarter of the season, only scoring four points. In fact, it took GW eight and a half minutes to score at all.
Photo by Greg Fiume/GW Athletics
“Watching us in those first four or five minutes, I was shocked,” GW women’s basketball coach Ganiyat Adenduntan said. “I was thinking, ‘This is not us, what are we doing?’ When I called that timeout, it was to regroup ourselves, and we didn’t flip right away. I knew we needed to increase our intensity on the defensive end, so we adjusted part of our game plan on that side of the floor.”
After going down 19-29 at the halfway point, the Revs finally found their footing in the third quarter, limiting Brown to nine points. GW became more hesitant to shoot the three-ball – only attempting it twice in the third quarter – and instead garnered 12 of their 13 points from the third quarter in the paint.
At the end of the third quarter and spilling into the fourth, the Revolutionaries chipped away at the Bears’ lead with a 12-5 run to knot the score 38-38 with six and half minutes remaining. Brown continued to shoot a number of threes to limited success, making 20% of their three-point attempts in the second half.
“Today we just had a lot more poise,” GW’s Gabby Reynolds said. “We’ve already been in close-game situations before, so we were able to trust each other in what we’re capable of doing. It all started on the defensive side when Mia James got that jump ball. I think it really helped us boost our confidence, and then we just had to seal the deal from there.”
With six minutes left, GW excelled defensively, drawing out Brown’s possession until the one second mark when a Kamari Sims foul gave the Bears a reset shot clock. Brown’s Grace Arnolie then hit a big three, giving the Bears a three point advantage. Moments later, the Revs’ Emma Theodorsson drained a buzzer-beating, behind-the-arc three after a failed screen with Reynolds.
Reynolds backed up that shot with another trifecta, giving GW the lead for the first time all day. Mia James ultimately sealed the deal for the Revs, forcing Brown’s Olivia Young out of bounds with 19.2 seconds left while fighting for a jump ball. GW went on to win 53-48.
The game also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Charles E. Smith Center. Members of the inaugural 1975–76 women’s basketball team – including Holly Kuzio, Marines James, Edna Fay, Deborah Edwards, and head coach Ann Poffenbarger – returned to boisterous cheers.
“50 years seems like so long ago, but it’s not so long ago when we have past players here in the stands, cheering for our current team,” Adenduntan said. “It means a lot. You really want to make them proud. We’re trying to return this program to its rich history, but we can only focus on one day at a time. The future is bright, and it’s bright because our kids are bought in.”
GW will get a few days of rest before traveling to the University of Delaware on Wednesday evening.
