Stapleton pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points, three assists, three blocked shots and a steal for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Brian Foley) |
Brown's game-high 25 points leads Revolutionaries to third-straight win
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 21, 2023) – George Washington University jumped out to a double-figure first quarter lead and withstood a second-quarter challenge to post a 67-34 victory over Stonehill College in a non-conference women's basketball matchup at the Charles E. Smith Center today.
Postgrad Essence Brown led George Washington with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 4-for-9 from three-point distance, with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Senior Asjah Inniss added eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while postgrad Maren Durant contributed seven points, eight boards, two assists and two steals. Junior Maxine Engel chipped in nine points, connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers, off the bench for the Revolutionaries.
Senior Jada Thornton led Stonehill in front of a hometown crowd with 13 points and five rebounds. Junior Maureen Stapleton finished just a point shy of her first career double-double with nine points, all in the second quarter, on 3-of-5 shooting from three, a game-high 11 rebounds, three assists, career-best three blocked shots and a steal. Freshman Brooke Paquette chipped in five points, a season-high matching six rebounds and two assists.
Thornton scored in double-figures for the tenth time in her career, leading the Skyhawks with 13 points, adding five boards (PHOTO BY Brian Foley) |
Stonehill rebounded from a scoreless opening quarter in which it missed all nine shots and turned the ball over six times that allowed George Washington to stake out a 15-point lead by making 8-of-13 shots (61.5-percent) in the second frame, including 3-of-5 (60%) threes, to get back into the game.
Stapleton's first of three second quarter three-pointers had Stonehill back within nine (18-9) two minutes in. After a three-point play from Stonehill senior Cameron Ward two minutes later, George Washington got an Innes triple and putback layup by Brown to reclaim a 14-point cushion (26-12) midway through the second. Stapleton's second from long range had the Skyhawks within eight (26-18) 2:37 before halftime and then her third of the frame had the visitor's confidence building down ten (31-21) heading to the intermission.
Stonehill would make just 1-of-10 shots in the third quarter, however, and George Washington closed the stanza with a 15-3 run, scoring the final 11 points of the quarter, sparked by a pair of Brown three-pointers, to carry a 22-point cushion (48-26) into the final ten minutes and didn't allow the Skyhawks any closer from there to close out the win.
Noteworthy
- Brown scored 14 of her game-high 25 points in the second half.
- Thornton scored in double-figures for the seventh time this season (10th career).
- Stapleton posted her third double-figure rebound game of the season (sixth career), leading Stonehill on the glass for the 11th time in 12 games this season.
- Freshman Emma Arcà (Rome, Italy) made her first career start for the Skyhawks this afternoon.
- GW posted a 21-1 scoring advantage in points off turnovers, with Stonehill finishing with 22 and the Revolutionaries turning the ball over just eight times.
- Today marked the first meeting all-time between the two programs and was Stonehill's first matchup with an Atlantic-10 member and first game contested in Our Nation's Capital.
Up Next
Stonehill (0-12, 0-0 NEC) is off until Saturday, December 30, when it wraps up its non-conference schedule by hosting Fairfield University at Merkert Gymnasium at 2 p.m. George Washington (7-5, 0-0 A10) hosts the University of Richmond to open its Atlantic-10 Conference schedule on December 30 at noon.
Tickets for Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets, with single game and season ticket packages available.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
