WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW: George Washington at Saint Louis
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018 • 2 p.m. CST
WHERE: Chaifetz Arena • St. Louis, Mo.
RECORDS: SLU 14-12, 8-5 Atlantic 10; George Washington 13-12, 8-5 Atlantic 10
SLU-GEORGE WASHINGTON SERIES: George Washington leads 10-4
SLU-GEORGE WASHINGTON LAST MEETING: SLU 72, at George Washington 69 (OT) (Jan. 27) RECAP
BILLIKENS’ LAST GAME: Duquesne 76, at SLU 66 (Feb. 14) RECAP
COLONIALS’ LAST GAME: at George Washington 55, Massachusetts 49 (Feb. 14) RECAP
UP NEXT FOR THE BILLIKENS: at VCU • Wednesday, Feb. 21 • 5 p.m. (CT) • Richmond, Va.
GAME NOTES: Saint Louis
GAME NOTES: George Washington
LIVE VIDEO: A-10 Digital Network (Email [email protected] if you encounter difficulty.)
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
A LOOK AT THE BILLIKENS
• Saint Louis and George Washington meet Saturday, Feb. 17, for a second time this season, and the Billikens are aiming for a sweep after defeating the Colonials 72-69 in overtime last month in Washington, D.C.
• With three games remaining, SLU is tied with George Washington and Saint Joseph’s for fifth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Billikens need one more victory to clinch an A-10 Championship first-round home game, which would be played Tuesday, Feb. 27.
• The Billikens have a 33-12 record in A-10 games since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, second only to George Washington’s 34-11.
• Saturday’s game matches the conference’s No. 2 scoring offense in Saint Louis (72.9 ppg) with the league’s No. 2 scoring defense in George Washington (59.2 ppg allowed).
• GW leads the A-10 in fewest turnovers (11.6 tpg), and SLU is third (12.9 tpg). The teams are 1-2 in assist-turnover ratio, with the Billikens on top (1.32) and the Colonials in second (1.17).
• Free throw shooting also is a strength for both teams. Saint Louis (.756) and George Washington (.743) rank second and third, respectively, in the A-10.
• In free throw percentage, Saint Louis leads the A-10 in conference games (.811) and is second in the league in all games (.756 to Fordham’s .762). Jackie Kemph (.873) leads the A-10 in conference play. The Billikens have been on fire from the stripe recently, connecting on 54-of-59 (.915) over the last four games and 82-of-96 (.854) in the last six outings.
• SLU has taken good care of the ball recently. The Billikens have averaged just 9.8 turnovers in their last four contests, including a season-low seven at La Salle and eight vs. Duquesne.
• Jackie Kemph owns a commanding lead in assists in the A-10. She dishes 7.6 per game, 2.6 more than second-place Mariah Ruff of St. Bonaventure. Kemph is on pace to have career bests for a season in assists per game, A-TO ratio (currently 2.66) and fewest turnovers per 40 minutes (currently 3.04). Her 6.86 career assist average ranks second among NCAA Division I active players.
• Maddison Gits pulls down 10.9 rebounds per game vs. A-10 opponents to rank fourth in the conference.
• Sixth-year head coach Lisa Stone takes a 104-82 record at Saint Louis into the George Washington game. Now in her 32nd season overall as a collegiate head coach, Stone owns a 607-319 career mark.
A LOOK AT THE COLONIALS
• George Washington returned two starters and four additional letter winners from its 2016-17 team that finished 20-10 overall and tied for the A-10 regular-season title with a 13-3 league mark. The Colonials were selected for the WNIT.
• GW has won four of five since falling to Saint Louis Jan. 27, including Wednesday night’s 55-49 victory over Massachusetts. The Colonials’ only defeat during that stretch was a 57-53 loss to first-place Dayton.
• Senior guard Brianna Cummings leads George Washington with 14.3 points per game. Cummings hauls in 6.0 rebounds per game and is fourth in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.840).
• Senior forward Kelli Prange is second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg).
• Junior forward Kelsi Mahoney leads the Colonials with 52 3-pointers and scores 8.6 points per game.
• Junior guard Mei-Lyn Bautista has team-best averages of 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals. Bautista averages 8.3 points and is second in the A-10 in assist-turnover ratio (2.68).
• Freshman forward Neila Luma tops the GW rebounding chart with 6.3 boards per game.
