Coming into the season, junior Antelia Parrish was the most prominent question mark on a women’s basketball team that returned four starters from last year’s Sweet Sixteen-reaching squad. GW head coach Joe McKeown called Parrish, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, his “secret weapon” at the Colonials Invasion pep rally in October. The newcomer quickly backed up her coach’s praise, using her six-foot frame and unique combination of skills to tally 59 points and 34 rebounds in the team’s first three games.

Two games later, a sprained left ankle temporarily derailed Parrish’s impressive campaign, forcing the guard/forward combo out of the lineup for the team’s next five contests. Since returning to the Colonials in mid-December, she has continued to contribute, albeit on a lesser scale. Outside of her strong shooting in GW’s romp of Brown University, Parrish’s numbers have not exactly lit up the box score.

In the first half of Wednesday night’s game against La Salle, she had just three points and one rebound to go with her two fouls. GW led by only two points against a La Salle team they have lost to once in McKeown’s tenure.

But after halftime, while the Colonials began putting distance between themselves and their opponent en route to a 50-32 victory, Parrish began showing the same shooting and rebounding acumen that created so much excitement earlier this season.

“I think I’m getting back into the groove now,” Parrish said after the win. “I always felt confident; it was just a matter of time.”

On consecutive second half possessions, she grabbed a defensive rebound before hitting a three-pointer on the other end, putting GW in front by 18 points with less than seven minutes to play. The Explorers responded by immediately calling a timeout: the game was getting out of hand and Parrish had a lot to do with it.

While she would not score the rest of the night – the Colonials as a team only managed two more baskets before the final buzzer – the point had been made. With 10 points and 5 rebounds in the second half, Parrish appeared back in pre-sprain form. Her effectiveness should be important as conference play continues, with GW hosting conference rivals Charlotte and Dayton next week.