No. 11 G.W. off to best start at 15-2

Kimberly Beck scored 17 points and No. 11 George Washington pulled away after halftime to beat Rhode Island 61-45, giving the Colonials the best start in the program's history.

The Colonials (15-2, 4-0 Atlantic 10) won their eighth straight and topped the 14-2 start of the 1999-2000 team that finished 26-6 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Jessica Adair scored 16 points and had nine rebounds for the Colonials, and Kenan Cole added 11 points.

Safi Mojidi scored 11 points to lead Rhode Island (4-14, 2-2), which shot 17-of-59 from the floor (28.8 percent) and had 19 turnovers.

George Washington quickly built on its 24-13 halftime lead to put the game out of reach. Cole and Beck capped a 9-0 run with consecutive 3-pointers that made the score 37-19 with 13:50 to play.

George Washington overcame a lackluster offensive first half with one of its best defensive efforts of the season. It was the fifth straight game in which George Washington limited its opponent to fewer than 20 first-half points.