Watch out for George Washington.

That was the message transmitted from last fall's women's basketball Atlantic 10 Media Day. Of all the teams in the league to be a threat to the normal A-10 triumvirate -- Penn State, Rutgers and St. Joseph's -- the Lady Colonials were considered the team.

Twenty-one wins later, a contender for the regular-season conference championship and a No. 24 Associated Press ranking, those expectations have become a reality.

A win tonight over the No. 2 Lady Lions (24-1) would catapult GW (21-4) into a tie for first place in the conference with No. 17 Rutgers and Penn State. Each team would then stand at 15-2. The GW-PSU battle for the title will take place at 6 in the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C.

"They've surprised me a little bit," forward Susan Robinson said, "just in how consistent they've been throughout the season."

Last season, the Lady Colonials had streaks of five straight wins, three losses, then three wins then four losses. This year, all they've done is win and win and win, including a victory over RU, 77-68, a game which knocked the Lady Knights out of first place.

George Washington has a nucleus of four players -- sophomore forward Jennifer Shasky (17.2 points per game), junior center Mary K. Nordling (13.8 ppg and 81 blocked shots), senior guard Anne Riley (12.4 ppg) and junior forward Kristin McArdle (11.9 ppg and 110 assists) -- who have led the team this year. All of them have helped guide the squad to its first-ever national ranking and an 11-0 record at home.

"McArdle is a big difference because she's not afraid of anyone," Robinson said. "Shasky has become a lot more confident with her shot and Nordling has improved -- she's taking it to people."

Coach Rene Portland added, "(What makes them dangerous) is their ability to hit the 3-point shot and for them to change as much as they do in their defenses."

In the two teams previous meeting on Feb. 7, Penn State pulled out a gritty 80-69 victory. And regardless of what happens tonight, it's possible the two teams could meet again in the A-10 postseason tournament March 8-9 at St. Joe's.

On the Lady Lions' side, a win would clinch the regular-season title -- something they have never won outright and what they haven't shared since 1984-85 (a tie with the Hawks).

Also the team needs a win to help its NCAA chances. In the last few days, speculation from the Philadelphia Inquirer on PSU's possibilities of being a No. 2 seed in the East (behind Virginia) has arisen due to the suspect strength of the A-10 Conference. All of which makes tonight's game more important.

"It'll only make the win more valuable," Portland said. "Having another team in such as Rutgers and ourselves in the Top 25 will help us, especially if we could get a win on their home court. We do not want to lose to a team ranked below us."

On Saturday, the Lady Lions play their last-ever regular-season A-10 game when it travels to St. Joseph's at 12:30 p.m.

Notes: Penn State is 5-1 against teams which have been ranked in the Top 25. It has defeated Iowa, Virginia, Rutgers, GW and Maryland, but fell to the Lady Knights in the Louis Brown Center. . . Robinson has been named Windex Player of the Month for January. . .Guard Tanya Garner's three steals at West Virginia last Saturday moved her into fifth place on the all-time chart with 211.