The Tribune

GRAND Bahamian senior forward Jonquel Jones had another double-double and sophomore Brianna Cummings scored 10 of her career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter as the George Washington Colonials women’s basketball team held off Illinois for a 70-57 victory Monday at the State Farm Centre - its second win over an opponent from the Big Ten this season.

GW improved to 9-3 on the season with its fourth straight win, while Illinois dropped its third in a row to fall to 7-4.

Cummings connected on 7-of-11 from the field and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Junior Caira Washington (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Jones (10 points, 14 rebounds) each registered double-doubles - Jones notched her 10th straight - and junior Hannah Schaible was the fourth Colonial in double figures with 13 points.

Jones also swatted a career-high seven blocked shots and Schaible added six rebounds and four steals, while grad student Lauren Chase dished out seven assists while chipping in nine points and six boards.

The Colonials held the Fighting Illini - who were averaging 76.4 points per game and leading the Big Ten in 3-point shooting - to their lowest offensive output of the season, as the hosts shot just 31.1 per cent from the field (23-74) and 12.5 per cent from 3-point range (3-24). The top rebounding team in the nation, GW won the battle of the boards for the 12th straight game, outrebounding Illinois 56-35.

The game remained close for three quarters but GW outscored Illinois 25-16 in the fourth to pull away for the 70-57 win. Ahead by two (51-49) with 6:39 remaining, GW took control with a 12-1 run over a two-minute stretch for a 63-50 lead, then extended its lead to a game-high 15 points on a pair of free throws by Jones at the 1:40 mark.

GW jumped out to a 9-2 lead and held Illinois to just one field goal over the first seven minutes, but the Illini cut it to one (15-14) at the end of the opening quarter. The Illini took a 17-15 lead at the start of the second period but the Colonials countered with 10 straight points to regain a 25-17 advantage and GW led 32-27 at the break.

Illinois pulled within one point three times in the third quarter and the Colonials clung to a 45-41 lead after three but GW shot 53.3 per cent in a dominant fourth quarter to take the win. Chatrice White posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Illini, while Alex Wittinger recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

The Colonials conclude their non-conference slate 7pm tonight when they are scheduled to host Hartford at the Charles E Smith Centre.