On an afternoon where the GW faithful dominated the arena,
the Colonials pulled away in the second half out in Hempstead. After yet
another slow start, GW scored eleven unanswered to go ahead 12-6. The bench
invigorated the team early as Cartagena, Griffin, and Mikic scored
back-to-back-to-back threes. Yet a stagnant offensive performance in the first
half, a trend Coach Lonergan has become all too aware of, coupled with Hofstra’s
work on the offensive glass left the Colonials down 32-29 at the half. However,
the team roared back in the second half with a 15-2 run and never looked back.
Mo Creek had a stellar second act, scoring 15 of his 17 and totaling three of
his team-leading 4 steals. GW stifled The Pride on defense, holding them to
34.6% from the field in the second half and 42.3% on the game. The switch to
the staple 1-3-1 zone confounded Hofstra and led to multiple steals by the GW
backcourt. McDonald had 3 steals to complement his 7 assists and—wait…is that
Kethan Savage’s music?
BAH GAWD KING HE’S BROKEN IN HALF. MACHO MAN KETHAN SAVAGE!
But seriously look at that vigil Hofstra holds under the
basket for Robinson after the poster. Look at the GW fans packed in section 103
behind the team’s bench. This felt like a home game. This feels special. That
dunked marked the turning point of the game, as the team played with a new
energy with the backcourt as its catalyst. Larsen put up a quiet 14 points and
7 rebounds. Perhaps it went a bit unnoticed because Hofstra grabbed 17
offensive boards and out-rebounded the Colonials by seven. Armwood had a poor
showing on his birthday, but managed three blocks.
Last year the team went as the frontcourt went. It’s
refreshing to see that the Colonials no longer need to rely on their big men to
win games for them. The team now has knockdown shooters in Creek, the resurgent
Mikic, and Griffin. McDonald and Savage can hit the open three and get to the
basket with ease. GW plays at Kansas State on New Years’ Eve and returns home
January 3 to conclude non-conference play against Georgia. Then the fun starts.
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