Photo credit: Tim Cowie
By Ashleigh Tobin (@aktobin2)
In a close, low scoring affair on Wednesday night, the George Washington Revolutionaries (12-17, 5-12 A10) squeaked out a win against the Davidson Wildcats (18-10, 8-9 A10) 45-40, behind another strong performance from sophomore guard Nya Robertson.
A defensive battle for the duration of the game, GW held Davidson to just 40 points, the lowest a conference foe has scored against them all season. The Buff & Blue outrebounded the Wildcats 37-33, and forced them to shoot just 17.6% from three point range.
The Revolutionaries led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter, behind eight points from Robertson and inspired defensive play. GW forced six Davidson turnovers in the quarter and held them to 3-for-10 from field goal range and 0-for-2 from behind the arc.
GW started the second quarter strong, pushing their lead to eight points, the largest of the game. Their stout defense continued, as active hands from GW defenders often tipped and broke up passes between the Wildcats’ offense. Nya Lok added nine points for the Buff and Blue, going 3-for-3 from three in the quarter. For Davidson, redshirt junior guard Maddie Plank led the way with nine points in the first half. The last point scored in the quarter came with 3:22 remaining, a testament to the defensive efforts put forth by both squads.
Leading by four going into the halftime break, GW came out of the locker room looking ready to roll with two quick baskets from graduate guard Essence Brown that extended the lead to eight. Plank then converted on a three pointer, which sparked a Davidson run. The Wildcats scored 11 points to the Revolutionaries’ three in the last seven minutes of the quarter to knot up the game at 31 each heading into the fourth.
Unfortunately for Davidson, Plank went down with an injury in the quarter and did not return to the court. This is the fourth Wildcats player who’s suffered a non-contact knee injury this year.
Davidson continued to put pressure on GW in the fourth, going on a 9-5 run in the first five minutes and taking the lead 40-36. Robertson then took over the game for the Revolutionaries, hitting a three to make it a one point game with just under four minutes remaining. Senior guard Asjah Inniss drove to the basket and converted on a layup which gave GW a one point lead and forced the Wildcats to take a timeout.
The score remained 41-40 for the next three minutes, with both teams forcing misses, but Davidson had the ball with 53 seconds left. GW forced another missed shot and star graduate forward Mayowa Taiwo came down with the rebound. The Revolutionaries were able to get the ball to Robertson who hit a mid range floater to make it a three point lead with under ten seconds left. The Wildcats had a chance to tie the game, but turned it over on the inbound pass.
Robertson ended the game with 21 points for GW, 15 of which came in the first and fourth quarters. No other player reached double digits for the Revolutionaries.
The Wildcats missed plenty of opportunities for points, only converting 46.7% of their chances from the line and scoring just 10 points off of 17 GW turnovers. With the win, GW hands Davidson their fourth straight loss, two of which came by forfeits because they lacked enough healthy players to compete.
Though the Revolutionaries will not be able to finish higher than 11th in the A10, they have shown an ability to win as of late, even without a strong offensive showing, and should be seen as a threat in the conference tournament.
GW will be back in action at the Smith Center against Loyola Chicago for their final home game of the season on Saturday, March 2nd at 2 PM. That game can be found on ESPN+ or listened to on WRGW.
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