The Hawk

Issue date: 1/24/07 Section: Sports

Carter shined on home court as the Hawks defeated Xavier, 82-74.

In conference play, wins have to be earned. On Sunday afternoon Saint Joseph's earned a tough win. The players accepted the challenge of Xavier University and were able to overcome their underdog status to come away with a solid victory.

Now, the Hawks must look to the future and prepare to travel down I-95 and face off with Atlantic-10 competitor, George Washington University.

George Washington and Coach Karl Hobbs (2006 A-10 Coach of the year) are coming off the most successful year in school history, finishing the '05 -'06 season with a glowing overall record of 27-3, including two wins over Saint Joseph's University.

Unblemished in the Atlantic 10, George Washington trounced all the competition within the conference in route to their regular season A-10 Championship.

Problems for George Washington rose since their run into the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Four of the five starters did not return to their 2005-06 team, for several reasons, including NBA talents J.R. Pinnock (guard) and Pops Mensah- Bonsu (forward).

Although it may seem like George Washington would be in a rebuilding year after the losses, their success still continues.

Returning senior standout Carl Elliot has a mixture of credentials to his name: 2004 A-10 rookie of the year, 2005 A-10 All Defensive team, and most recently A-10 All- Conference second team.

Another bright spot for George Washington is junior guard Maureece Rice, who broke out last season and was awarded the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year award for his off-the-bench heroics.

At first glance, it may seem that George Washington would struggle through this season due to their loss in personnel but the opposite is true.

The Hawks travel to George Washington on Jan. 24 with the Colonials riding a three game winning streak. George Washington has posted a 4-1 record, as opposed to the 4-2 record the Hawks have put on the board.

The Colonials cannot be taken lightly at all; tough in-conference wins came against Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, and Charlotte. Their only loss came in a high scoring affair at UMass.

Outside of their stellar in conference record, George Washington had some impressive out-of-conference wins, including a one-point victory in Washington, D.C. against ACC powerhouse Virginia Tech.

Continued...

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