Sports Talk: GW Seniors Look For 1st A-10 Title

THE CURRENT GROUP of seniors on the George Washington women's basketball team has won 98 games in the last four years and has captured a share of the Atlantic-10 title every season — part of a seven-year streak for the Colonials. But a quick look at their track record shows one glaring hole: an A-10 tournament title.

"We want to win the A-10 tournament title," senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence said. "This is our senior year, and we haven't cut down the nets yet. That's what we want to do."

The four seniors — Lawrence, A-10 Player of the Year Kimberly Beck, Whitney Allen and Lora Mitchell — were very close to winning the tournament crown in their freshman and sophomore seasons, falling to Temple in the championship game both years. Last year, the Colonials went undefeated in conference play during the regular season, only to be upset by Saint Joseph's in the tournament semifinals.

The Colonials are not going into the tournament as a No. 1 seed this year as they have in the past three seasons — Temple is No. 1; GW is No. 2 — but they still feel as if they have an "X" on their back.

"On any given night, anybody can win," All-American point guard Beck said. "No matter who's on the court, we have to play hard. In order to get to the championship and win it all, we have to beat the teams that we have struggled with in the past and this season."

St. Bonaventure, which gave the Colonials one of their losses this season, could stand in their way. If St. Bonaventure wins its first round matchup, it would go on to face GW in what could be a retribution game for the Colonials.

"We can win the A-10 title," senior forward Whitney Allen said. "If we play GW basketball, execute on offense, play tough defense, use our bench well and have some fun, we can do it."

Written by Express contributor Drew Rifkin
Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post