Coming into Sunday’s game against La Salle, the GW women’s basketball team had been struggling, losing 14 of its last 15 games, with the Colonials’ lone win during that stretch coming six games and more than three weeks ago. If the Colonials felt any pressure, they didn’t show it, earning a hard-fought 58-50 win over the Explorers on the backs of a pair of sophomores.
GW (4-14, 1-4 Atlantic 10) led throughout the game, maintaining the advantage through an ability to respond every time La Salle drew close. The Explorers managed to hang around for much of the game, never allowing the Colonials a double-digit lead at any point and largely keeping GW’s lead within one or two baskets.
Head coach Mike Bozeman said after the game that the win was nice, but his focus on improving his team does not disappear with victory.
“I know when we lose, and I would be lying if I said I was sitting here not counting, but it’s not at the forefront of my mind,” Bozeman said after the game. “The forefront of my mind is getting my team to play the way we need to play in order to be successful. Us beating La Salle is not going to catapult us to the front of the conference. It keeps us out of the basement, but at the same time we want to use what we did today so that we can play better on Wednesday.”
Paving the way for the victory were sophomores Sara Mostafa and Kay-Kay Allums, who each set career highs in Sunday’s contest. Mostafa, a center, had a double-double in the game, surpassing her career high in rebounds with 16 to go with her 11 points. Allums, a guard, led all scorers with 21 points, a career high as well.
Allums also hit a career-best four three-pointers, making all four of her shots from beyond the arc. Senior forward Danielle Mickiewicz led La Salle with 15 points on the afternoon. Mostafa said after the game that her career day on the boards and underneath the basket was a product of preparation and faith in her coaches.
“It was pretty much from the beginning of the game,” Mostafa said of her rebounding dominance during the game. “My coaches told me that I would be able to get the ball inside and I believed them, and I believe in myself.”
GW has historically dominated the Explorers, winning all 12 of the team’s meetings at the Smith Center and 29 of 31 contests overall. Sunday’s win was GW’s fifth straight in the series.
Still, after the game Bozeman was quick to quell any rampant enthusiasm, grading his team’s performance as a C-minus and saying that his team still has a long way to go before he feels better about it.
“Yes, the bottom line is wins and losses, I know that, I know I’m going to be judged on that in the end, but I got to get us to where I can even contemplate wins and losses,” Bozeman said. “I got to get us to where we’re playing on a consistent basis on a higher level and that’s my main focus.”
Next up for GW is a game at Massachusetts, scheduled for an 11:45 a.m. start Wednesday.
