Feb. 21, 2006

Colonials Round-Up

Chart Toppers

The GW men’s basketball team moved up one spot to No. 7 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll and remained at No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll (released Feb. 13). It marks the team’s 15th straight week in the AP Top 25, the longest single-season streak in the program’s history. GW’s No. 7 AP ranking is its highest ranking since the program was ranked No. 7 Jan. 3, 1956.

GW was ranked 13 straight weeks during the 1954–55 season including the all-time high of No. 5 for the week of Feb. 15, 1955. GW was ranked for 19 straight weeks in the AP poll beginning in the 1954–55 season and continued through the week of Jan. 10, 1956.

At 21–1, GW is off to its best start in the 92-season (99-year) history of the program. The victory over Saint Joseph’s Feb. 11 eclipsed the previous record in 1953–54 when GW won 19 of its first 20 games. GW’s 11–0 Atlantic 10 Conference record also is its best start in league play.

Gymnastics Posts Season-High Score

Led by season-best point totals on vault, balance beam, and the floor exercise, GW’s gymnastics team posted a season-high team score of 192.6 to defeat Kent State (192.375) in non-conference action, Feb. 1, at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. Senior co-captain Erin Aiken helped lead GW to victory, posting the Colonials’ top performances on vault and floor exercises.

GW led throughout the competition, earning its sixth victory of the season, finishing with scores of 48.45 on vault, 47.9 on bars, 47.625 on beam, and 48.625 on floor. Aiken was the lone Colonial to compete in the all-around and finished runner-up with a mark of 37.9.

Women’s Team on the Rebound

The Colonials (17–6, 10–2) defeated St. Bonaventure (8–15, 2–10) 62–41 for the Colonials 10th conference win. It was GW’s 15th win in their last 18 games and kept them tied for second in the A-10. The Colonials have the stingiest defense in the conference and held the Bonnies to just 41 points. Jessica Simmonds led GW in scoring for the second-straight game with 14 points.

Eight Colonials scored in the first half led by Sarah Jo Lawrence who had seven points. Freshman Jazmine Adair had five first-half rebounds, four of which were offensive but the Bonnies out-rebounded GW, 24–19. The Colonials are 12–0 when out-rebounding opponents, and improved to 5–6 when losing the battle of the boards. For the game, GW had five-fewer rebounds, 44–39, than St. Bonaventure.
GW concludes the regular season with its first-ever meeting with Charlotte Sunday, Feb., 26. Charlotte has been in first place in the A-10 since GW stumbled at Massachusetts. Even if the Colonials maintained its current one-game deficit behind the league-leader going into the game, a GW win would make the Colonials the regular season champions by virtue of the head-to-head tie-breaker.

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