WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Villanova Wildcats traveled to Washington, D.C., on Thursday evening where they tallied a 60-45 win over the George Washington Colonials. Villanova has now won three in a row to improve to 6-2 on the year. With the loss, the Colonials fall to 2-7 on the season.
A 10-foor jumper by junior guard Kelly Jekot with 1:21 to play in the second quarter gave Villanova its largest lead of the first half at 28-16, before George Washington took momentum into halftime by connecting on consecutive three-point field goals. The second three by Kelsi Mahoney just before the halftime buzzer sliced the Wildcat advantage to 28-22 at intermission.
Villanova took control of the game over the first 1:48 of the third quarter when the Wildcats scored the first eight points of the second half to open up a 36-22 lead. The eight Wildcat points included two three-point field goals by senior guard Adrianna Hahn and a lay-up by junior forward Mary Gedaka.
After neither team was able to score for a stretch of 3:53, Gedaka gave Villanova a 41-25 advantage when she converted an old fashion three-point play with 1:44 remaining in the third quarter. George Washington senior guard Mei-Lyn Bautista kept the Colonials in the game by scoring the final five points of the quarter on two free throws and a three-point field goal. The three-ball cut Villanova's lead to 41-30 entering the fourth stanza.
Villanova led 47-37 at the 7:13 mark, when redshirt freshman Emily Esposito drained a three from straightaway to make it a 50-37 game. A jumper by George Washington forward Neila Luma on the game's next possession cut the lead to 50-39, before Hahn connected on a deep three to put her team up 53-39. Esposito then made it a 55-39 game with 5:03 to play when she hit a 12-foor fade away jumper.
In the win, Hahn scored a game-high tying 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range, while Gedaka had 13 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Senior forward Jannah Tucker was the third Wildcat in double figures with 11 points. Jekot tallied eight points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists.
George Washington was paced by Bautista with 18 points and Luma who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
For the game, Villanova shot 44.4 percent from the field (24-of-54), 29.4 percent from three-point range (10-of-34) and 100.0 percent from the foul line (2-of-2), while the Colonials were 16-of-54 from the floor (29.6%), 8-of-24 from long distance (33.3%) and 5-of-8 from the charity stripe (62.5%). The Wildcats owned a 36-29 advantage on the backboards.
Villanova returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 9, when the Temple Owls visit the Finneran Pavilion for a Philadelphia Big 5 contest. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
NOTES: Villanova improves to 3-0 versus Atlantic 10 competition this year with tonight's win…The Wildcats have given up a combined 126 points in the last three games (42.0 ppg.)…Villanova is now 3-1 in road games this year… Adrianna Hahn moved past Katie Davis and into second place on Villanova's all-time made three-point field goal list with 252 career triples…The Wildcats were credited with 19 assists on 24 made field goals in tonight's victory.
