GW beats Delaware State 94-50, improves to 4-0

That was fun. In a festival of dunks and three pointers, the Colonials clobbered Delaware State 94-50. While it was a little sloppy at times, GW dominated every facet of the game.

The good guys outrebounded the Hornets 41-24 and also shot extremely well, knocking down everything -- 60.3% from the floor, 58.8% from three (10/17) and 73.7% from the free throw line. It seemed like whenever a guy was open, he was making the shot. That's something I don't remember seeing from a GW team in a long time, and it's pretty exhilarating to watch.

The team played also tough defense against a weaker team, causing a few shot clock violations plus 11 steals and 17 DSU turnovers to go along with 25 GW assists.

It was dollar hot dog night, which was also fun. I asked the snack bar staff what was the record so far, and apparently somebody bought 6 hot dogs. I choose to believe they were all for that one person, and I congratulate you, hot dog fanatic. Coach Mike Lonergan also bought a bunch to give to the student section, which was cool.

Speaking of sixes: six Colonials scored in double figures. Freshmen Nick Griffin scored 14 on 4/4 shooting from three, while Zeek Armwood led all scorers with 17. Patricio Garino, Kevin Larsen, Maurice Creek and Paris Maragkos also scored in double figures. Garino played pretty well, which was great to see, including a really nice around the back dribble during a fast break to avoid a defender. Plus you know it's a good game when Kethan Savage only needs to take 4 shots.

The game got out of hand rapidly, which allowed Lonergan to give everybody some time. All the players got between 13 and 21 minutes, aside from walkon Skyler White who got 7 minutes. He managed to knock down two free throws and deliver a big block to the delight of the crowd. He's definitely the new Mark Lund, the beloved walkon.

It's hard to say anything bad about a game where the good guys win by 44 points, but being an occasional pessimist I found a few things. For one, the turnout was pretty poor. The student section had an ok turnout, but the other side of the stands were virtually barren (see right). Pretty sad to see. I don't know if it's fans that have tickets but aren't showing up, or just that GW needs to figure out some more marketing ideas for those seats. I have a few quick ones: GW law, medical and grad students; local schoolkids; youth leagues. I'm sure it's easier said than done, and more fans will come with more wins, but still: blech.

The game was also a bit sloppy. GW played good offense but there were occasional brain farts and strange plays, like one where John Kopriva drove into three Delaware State players and got stuffed. The Colonials stripped the ball a fair amount but also got it taken away egregiously a few times as well.

Still, GW won by 44 and is 4-0. That's pretty awesome. Up next is Miami (FL) on Nov. 28 in Fullerton, California -- part of the Wooden Legacy tournament. Definitely a good test, and I'm excited to see how the guys handle it.

Here's the box score and recap from GWSports.com.