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 No. 20/16 GW (25-6) faces a rematch with 11th-seeded Auburn (20-11) in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Stanford, CA, Saturday. |
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Rare Rematch: No. 20/16 GW Faces Auburn in Stanford Sub-Regional First Round
March 21, 2008
2008 GW NCAA Tournament Media Guide in PDF Format | GW's Friday Quotes | Auburn's Friday Quotes
STANFORD, CA - The sixth-seeded No. 20/16 George Washington women's basketball team meets 11th-seeded Auburn for the second time this season Saturday in an NCAA Tournament first round game at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA. The game will tip-off at 2:00 pm ET and air on ESPN2.
The winner advances to face either third-seeded California or 14th-seeded San Diego at Maples Pavilion Monday at a time to be determined.
No. 20/16 GW (25-6) is making its 15th all-time and sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, all under 19th-year head coach Joe McKeown. The Colonials are 16-14 all-time in the 'Big Dance,' including a 12-2 record in first-round games.
Last season, GW knocked off 12th-seeded Boise State and fourth-seeded Texas A&M to advance to the program's third-ever Sweet 16 and first trip since 1997.
GW has won both legs of its home-and-home series with Auburn, which began with a 62-51 victory at Charles E. Smith Athletic Center in Washington, DC, on Dec. 16, 2006. In this season's meeting in January, redshirt junior Lisa Steele hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in No. 20/19 GW's 68-66 road victory over the then-No. 18 Tigers.
Senior Kimberly Beck, a two-time Nancy Lieberman Award final nominee, and classmates Sarah-Jo Lawrence, Whitney Allen and Lora Mitchell will look for their 100th career victory against Auburn Saturday. Joining Beck, Lawrence and Allen in the starting lineup is junior leading scorer Jessica Adair, a two-time first team All-Atlantic 10 performer who averages 15.3 points, and sharpshooting forward Antelia Parrish, who ranked fourth in the A-10 in three-point shooting this season (39.6 percent).
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With January's victory over Auburn, GW has won its last four contests against the mighty Southeastern Conference to improve to 10-16 all-time against the power league. In 2006-07, GW beat Auburn and upset No. 11/10 Georgia. This season, GW handled Kentucky and won at Auburn.
The Colonials have been outstanding in the state of California as of late. GW won the Surf `n Slam Classic last season with wins over host San Diego State and No. 11/10 Georgia, then advanced to the program's third-ever NCAA Sweet 16 with victories over Boise State and Texas A&M?in Los Angeles.
Auburn (20-11) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to Vanderbilt, 49-44, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on March 7. Junior first team All-SEC pick DeWanna Bonner averages a double-double of 18.5 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Tigers, who have lost four of their six games entering the NCAA Tournament. Auburn won its first nine games and 12 of its first 13, but finished 7-7 in conference play.