The Tribune

GRAND Bahamian Jonquel Jones played a pivotal role as sophomore forward Kelli Prange scored a game-high 21 points to lead five Colonials in double figures as George Washington women’s basketball team cruised to a 95-47 exhibition win over Christopher Newport on Sunday afternoon at the Charles E Smith Centre.

Prange connected on nine-of-12 shots from the field, including two-of-three from three-point range, in 19 minutes of action, and was part of a GW starting front court that accounted for 50 points, as junior Caira Washington added 15 points and Jones, in her senior year, hit 14 to go with six rebounds, three blocks and three assists.

Sophomore Camilla Tapias and senior Aaliyah Brown rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Colonials, as they chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench. Tapias connected on six-of-eight from the floor, including two-of-four from long distance, and Brown added a game-high four steals. In addition, graduate student Lauren Chase impressed with seven points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

GW jumped out to a 15-0 lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Makeda Wright scored the Captains’ first points at the 4min 21sec mark, but the Colonials extended their lead to 28-7 at the end of the period after Brown nailed a three-pointer with 24 seconds left. Prange tallied 10 of her 21 points in the opening quarter.

Christopher Newport made four-of-six from three-point range in the second quarter but an 8-0 GW run gave the Colonials a 27-point lead at the 3.34 mark. The Captains ended the quarter with a 7-3 spurt to make it 49-25 at the break. A back-and-forth start to the third stanza included a pair of three-pointers by CNU’s Bailey Dufrene to cut it to 58-36 with 7.50 remaining, but GW held the Captains without a field goal for the rest of the period and a 16-2 run gave them a 74-38 lead after three quarters. Washington scored 11 of GW’s 25 points in the quarter. A dominant fourth quarter saw the Colonials outscore the Captains 25-9, with Tapias tallying 12 of her 14 points in the frame. After back-to-back three-pointers by CNU’s Anitra Thomas, GW closed the game with a 15-1 surge to take the 95-47 victory.

A balanced GW attack included 12 of 13 players getting into the scoring column. The Colonials dominated inside, outscoring the Captains 52-8 in the paint and holding a 58-37 rebounding advantage. GW also scored 31 points from 26 CNU turnovers

The Colonials shot 47.6 per cent (40-for-84) in the game, including 52.4 per cent (22-for-42) in the first half while limiting the Captains to 25.8 per cent (16-for-62) in the contest. Jalynn Ponzo led Christopher Newport with 12 points. The 2015-16 season officially gets underway for GW on Saturday when the Colonials host Grambling State at 2pm at the Charles E Smith Centre.