Booker Paces Colonials with 18 Points

WASHINGTON, DC - Senior Tara Booker scored a team-high 18 points but No. 11 Rutgers used substantial runs in both halves to defeat the George Washington women's basketball team, 75-54, on Friday night at Charles E. Smith Center

GW (6-7) will conclude its non-conference schedule on Monday, Jan. 2 against American at Smith Center. The Colonials open Atlantic 10 play on Jan. 7 when they host Fordham in a game that will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The teams opened the game by trading baskets through the first four minutes before a jumper by Booker gave the Colonials an 8-7 advantage with 15:37 remaining in the first half. It would be GW's only lead of the evening as Rutgers (11-2) used an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 15-8 lead.

Booker finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including four three-pointers to go with five rebounds and two steals. Also posting double-figures for the second-straight game were junior Danni Jackson (14 points, career-high tying eight assists) and senior Tiana Myers (10 points, three rebounds).

GW pulled within four points of the lead at 17-13 following a baseline jumper from junior Megan Nipe, but it was as close as the Colonials would get for the remainder of the game. Rutgers closed the half on a 25-10 run to take a 42-23 lead into intermission.

The Colonials played much better in the second half, beginning with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 44-30 just two minutes in. GW shot 47 percent from the field in the second half, including 54 percent (6-of-11) from beyond the arc. GW was outscored by just two points, 33-31, in the final 20 minutes.

As in the first half, Rutgers used a substantial run to eventually build a 26-point cushion with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. A three-pointer from Booker with 4:49 left pulled GW to within 17 points of the lead, but the Colonials would not get any closer as the Scarlet Knights continued to apply offensive pressure en route to a 75-54 victory.

Monique Oliver led Rutgers with a game-high 23 points while April Sykes posted 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Also posting double-digits for the Scarlet Knights were Khadijah Rushdan (13 points) and Erica Wheeler (11).