Alex Byers

9:22 p.m. Witherspoon hits his patented midrange jumper, getting the Colonials over the 50-point hump. But there is no joy in Foggy Bottom: Maryland 76, GW 53. Final.

9:19 p.m. Taylor makes a crazy layup and a WIDE open three. We’re hearing “Jeff Alston” chants from the stands.

9:08 p.m. It needs to be noticed how lazy this building is right now. Even the Terp fans are kinda out of it, and a Verizon Center with just a few thousand (maximum) people in it feels extremely eerie. Add to that a 69-42 Terps lead, and it’s hard to stay awake.

9:05 p.m. With 7:44 left, its MD 65, GW 38. Tony Taylor is 1-of-9 today. I know he was a big scorer in high school, but what we’ve seen of his shot selection this season suggests that for  a rookie point guard, he might be overshooting.

9:00 p.m. Xavier Alexander with the free throw. He has fulfilled his quota of one per game. (He’s made one in each game so far this year.)

8:50 p.m. Hermann Opoku gets the inbound pass at halfcourt, and trips over his own feet for a travel. Maryland, on the other hands, is having a real hard time missing three-pointers. GW needs to catch whatever disease they’ve got — the Terps are killing from downtown.

8:48 p.m. Maryland fans beat GW fans in the free-throw shooting contest during a timeout. Looks like the entire school struggles from the line. Maybe it’s something in the water? 58-33 MD.

8:45 p.m. It’s now 56-33 MD. GW is flying around the court — but they appear to lack discipline. They’ve been trying to make plays with their athleticism, but it just seems a little chaotic.

8:40 p.m. Maryland makes a a couple free throws to start the half, while GW’s taking only three-pointers. Gary Williams is employing a tough press again, maybe trying to create a bigger lead in order to get this thing over with.

8:25 p.m.  Maryland shoots 50 percent in the first half, GW shoots 32. The Terps were also 7-of-12 from downtown. Kinda lookin like GW having Maryland’s number at the BB&T is a thing of the past — but hey, you never know what this GW  team is going to do until it does it.

8:21 p.m. Just one of those days? GW played solid D as the half was winding down, denying shots left and right — until Maryland’s Adrian Bowie sprang free at the last second and drained a three as the buzzer sounded to give the Terps a 45-26 halftime lead.

8:15 p.m. A three from Wilmore and a slicing layup from Ware gives GW a quick five points. Down 15 there’s still a long way to go. Maryland is playing well, but because GW hasn’t been, you get the feeling that if they show up, they could pull much closer.

8:10 p.m. I think Xavier Alexander just missed the hoop on his first free throw. He’s now 4-of-18 from the line on the year. Sending him to the line is starting to seem like essentially forcing a GW turnover.

8:07 p.m. Lee and Taylor are on the floor right now, with Taylor playing the 2 position. He seems outmatched though, and just put a up a shot that was very easily swatted by a Terp defender.

8:02 p.m. Maryland’s lead extended to 30-14. Lee in the game again, and Wilmore has had trouble from beyond the arc. He’s 0-for-2 and the last one was wayyyyy long.

7:59 p.m. Not sure if this is correct, but stat tracker is reading 16 rebounds for GW to 3 for Maryland. There was one exchange where GW got like 5 boards in a row, but still. That seems like too many.

7:55 p.m. GW gets beat at its own game, as the Terps just converted on a smooth fastbreak to go up 25-14. Hobbs calls another timeout, and Maryland employs the full-court press.

7:49 p.m. Interesting lineup for GW right now: Johnny Lee, Opoku, Aaron Ware, Wilmore and Hollis. 20-12 MD.

7:46 p.m. A three by Hollis brings it to 13-7. Tony Taylor just threw up a crazy shot attempt that shows his energy, but also his inexperience. Hobbs had King ready to check in as soon as that ball missed the hoop.

7:42 p.m. Back to back threes for the Terps. Now 10-4 Maryland, and they’ve got the first momentum. Gary Williams is throwing on a full-court press out of a Hobbs timeout.

7:40 p.m. Sloppy play for both teams to start, and its 4-4 after three minutes. GW seems disorganized on defense so far. Hobbs has already pulled a big subsitiution, throwing Noel Wilmore, Wynton Witherspoon, and Diggs all in at the same time.

Just about to tip-off here at the Verizon Center for the BB&T Classic. GW is starting Tony Taylor, Travis King, Xavier Alexander, Damian Hollis, and Hermann Opoku. Not sure why Rob Diggs isn’t starting.

Maryland fans outnumber GW’s crew pretty good, but there are some Colonials in the stands. 

GW wins the tip. Updates coming.

9;32 p.m.  Tennessee 71, GW 59. That’s final.

9:29 p.m.  Each team makes a three, and the lead is still at 8. Only 1 minute remains.

9:26 p.m.  By the way, Tennessee is good. Lead is back at 8.

9:25 p.m.  GW is defending the Vols fairly well, but are getting killed on the offensive boards. Again, Vols at the line, and the lead is now at 4.

9:22 p.m. Vols at the line, up 3, four minutes to go. The fans are really keeping the energy high in the Smith Center. Tennessee makes both free throws, and the Vols are up 5.

9:18 p.m.  GW nearly just tied the game, but missed the layup. Contact down low on the rebound, and coach Summitt just walked the length of the court to see what was up. It’s getting interesting here. Bozeman is getting the crowd into it.

9:14 p.m. A miracle for Myers goes in, lead down to two. Back up to four on a Vols’ basket. Bozeman calls timeout.

9:13 p.m. Tennessee now in the double bonus. Interesting that the way to victory this game will be through free throws — something that’s plagued GW this year. She hits them both, GW down by 4, seven minutes left. It’s loud.

9:09 p.m. The lead was momentarily down to five on a nice jumper by Erica Rivera, but it ballooned back to 9. Parrish, though, hits a three-point play, and it’s back down to six.

9:08 p.m. Bozeman hasn’t been happy with GW’s decision making in the past few minutes. But Tennessee hasn’t capitalized. Still 50-41, Vols.

9:04 p.m. After a timeout, it’s 50-41 Tennessee. Parrish has her first field goal.

8:58 p.m. Maybe a couple of makeup calls. Tiana Myers gets to the line on what looked like a touch foul. She makes them both, and its 46-39.

8:56 p.m. Parrish at the line. She hits two for her first points of the game. 46-37 Tennessee.

8:53 p.m. Score is now 46-33 after two quick baskets for the Vols. Bozeman just had to be restrained from the referees. He seems really upset with some non-calls.

8:51 p.m. A nice drive from Tiana Myers makes it 42-33.

8:47 p.m. Now seems like a good time to mention that GW is 0-for-5 from the free-throw line tonight. 

8:46 p.m.  Tennessee up 42-29. Jessica Adair just received a great pass in the post, but came up short on the layup. Can’t miss those if you want to beat the Vols. 

8:41 p.m. 37-29 Tennessee. Rivera had tried a couple of very low percentage shots in the short half, and Parrish missed her fourth three-point attempt. Jessica Adair has been a force defensively, though.

8:23 p.m. GW goes into the half down 35-27. Tara Booker is keeping the Colonials active, as she’s buried some deep threes. It’s really kept the fans involved as well. 

GW will need to keep doing everything they’re doing and more in the second half. Jazmine Adair has played well, and she has eight points to go with Booker’s nine. The Vols have shot just 33 percent, but you’ve gotta think Summitt will make some adjustments over the break.

8:11 p.m. Two more Tennessee baskets complete a 6-0 run. Vols up 31-20, and GW head coach Mike Bozeman calls a timeout. Four minutes left in the half.

8:09 p.m. Momentum swing for GW. After an Abiona block, Booker hit a three over a pair of Volunteers, and then Abiona drew a charge from Tennessee. That really got the crowd into it, until they saw Abiona on the ground in pain. She’s being attended to on the bench now. 27-20 Tennessee.

8:01 p.m.  Booker hits a three, but its 20-13 Tennessee. Parrish has missed three field goal attempts and a pair of free throws. It seems like she’s too excited –– she’s been long on every shot.

7:59 p.m. Tara Booker has rimmed out on a pair of three-pointers. She’s close to knocking one down – incidentally, on her last attempt she made contact with the Vols’ Shekinna Stricklen, who had to be helped to the bench. It’s 15-10 Tennessee.

7:52 p.m.  Still 12-6 Vols. It really looks like Stefani Munro should be the go-to point guard for GW here. She’s made two good moves on TU’s Cait McMahan so far.

7:48 p.m. 12-6  Tennessee. As strong as the Vols are, this is an opportunity for GW to just go all out. If they can keep up a strong “no fear” mentality, they might be able to hang around.

7:42 p.m. Tennessee up 8-4 to start. They’ve killed GW on the boards so far. 

I’m here in Knoxville, Tennessee — er, the Smith Center — for the GW women’s basketball team’s match-up with defending national champion Tennessee. There have to be at least 600 Volunteer fans in the building, each wearing bright orange and cheering much louder for their team than the GW contingent is. Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt just got a secret service escort from the locker room to the court. Just kidding.

The starting lineup for GW is Ivy Abiona, Erica Rivera, Lisa Steele, Antelia Parrish, and Jessica Adair.

GW was tied with WKU at the half, but the play of Jessica and Jazmine Adair and Antelia Parrish wasn’t enough to put the Colonials in the win column. They fell 72-64 to WKU, their first loss of the year.

To subscribe to GW Basketball alerts for your cell phone, go to www.gwbasketball.com

Just learned the GW volleyball team swept Fordham earlier tonight to advance to the semis of the A-10 Championship tomorrow.

Also, the women’s basketball team is tied at 32 with Western Kentucky at the half.
Hat tip to Assistant Sports Information Director Jesse Hooker for both pieces of info.

9:41 p.m. That’s the game. GW 71, Binghamton 57. Wilmore finishes with 16, Hollis with 15. More to come after the press conference and in tomorrow’s paper.

9:36 p.m. From a statistical perspective, the Colonials have not overwhelmed tonight. However, this game was never really in doubt. The fans are starting to leave, and GW is up 17 with two minutes to play.

9:31 p.m. Hollis back in after Opoku fouls out. Opoku’s line: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 5 fouls.

9:26 p.m. Wilmore makes his fourth trey of the game and GW is up 68-46. Aaron Ware came in for Hollis a few minutes ago, and it looks like Hollis is finished for the evening.

9:18 p.m. Tony Taylor just made his first acrobatic basket — after attempting them a number of times. Taylor drove on a fast break, pump faked a layup, brought the ball down and around the basket, putting off the glass from the other side of the hoop. The student section just broke into a “Tony Taylor” chant. GW 63, BU, 44 7:27 left.

9:11 p.m. Five straight BU points has cut the lead to 15. Coach Broadus is really insisting on the full-court press, but GW hasn’t had much trouble with it yet. The Bearcats are also fouling quite hard — so far they’ve picked up two intentional fouls.

9:07 p.m. Wilmore is now leading GW with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. BU just started a full-court press but GW was able to handle it well — the COlonials are up 56-36.

8:57 p.m. BU’s Emmanuel Mayben just picked up a technical foul for making contact with Xavier Alexander after the whistle. The fan proceeded to give him a taste of the Smith Center’s stylings, chanting “A-10 reject.” Mayben is a UMASS transfer.

8:54 p.m. By the way, announced attendance tonight is 2,650. GW up 44-28, 16 minutes left.

8:52 p.m. Tony Taylor looks like he’s getting tired on defense — not what you want to see from your energy guy. He did just take a nice charge, though.

8:49: p.m. GW up 42-26 now on a Diggs layup and Hollis dunk. Bearcats’ guard D.J. Rivera just picked up his third foul 2 minutes into the half — but if the Colonials keep game’s tone going, it won’t matter.

8:33 p.m. It’s GW 38, Binghamton 26 after a half of play. Taylor and Hollis lead GW with seven points each and the Colonials are playing alright offensively, but they are getting dominated on the boards. Binghamton has 28 rebounds to GW’s 10.

The crowd is fairly sizable — at least half of the upper student section is full — and GW has had a few big plays to get the fans involved. This game should be GW’s if they can handle the Bearcats on the glass and keep the ball safe.

8:22 p.m. Tony Taylor hits a pair of free throws to give GW a 12-point lead with 2:35 left in the half. The box score says GW has just two turnovers, but that seems a little bit low from our perspective.

8:13 p.m. GW’s been going to its patented fast break offense in the first half, but they need some work on the long passes. They’ve had three errant launches kill the possession so far. GW now up 27-21.

8:08 p.m. Binghamton has switched to a 2-3 zone and is attacking when GW guards get the ball near the sideline near half court. Hobbs just had to call a timeout to bail out Alexander.

8:02 p.m. Starters plus Travis King on the floor for GW now, as Taylor commits his second foul. The Bearcats keep getting open on the right wing and in the left corner. They’ve hit three of four wide open shots. GW 23-18.

7:57 p.m. GW up 18-15 now, with 11 minutes left in the half. Binghamton just had an impressive alley-oop — it looked like Noel Wilmore was out of place on defense there.

7:54 p.m. Overall, GW is playing pretty well an is 7-for-11 from the floor. They’ve grabbed only 3 defensive rebounds, whereas Binghamton has at least 6 offensive boards, though.

7:51 p.m. Hermann Opoku checked into the game for Diggs and has two points on a put back. Binghamton is playing a man-to-man defense, and the Bearcats’ 6-foot-11, 290-pound center Jaan Montgomery has been particularly physical. GW up 17-9, 12:30 left.

7:45 p.m. Aaron Ware’s smooth baseline drive put GW up 11-2, but the Bearcats have hit back to back baskets to cut the lead to 4.

7:40 p.m. Binghamton has started out running a 3/4 press and it’s taking GW a while to get down the court. They are driving to the hoop on every possession, though, and lead 6-2.

Witherspoon just made a behind the back pass to Hollis on a fastbreak, which Hollis dunked and let out a defiant scream. That could be big a big boost to his confidence.

7:32 p.m. After a little National Anthem malfunction, (the singer messed up the words BIG TIME — but we give him credit for keeping the song moving along and having a nice voice) we’ve got GW’s starting lineup: Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, Damian Hollis, Xavier Alexander, and Tony Taylor.

The student section has spilled into the second level.

Fifteen minutes till tip off here at the GW men’s basketball team’s home opener against Binghamton, and fans have begun filling the Smith Center. Tonight’s game has probably been circled on the Colonials’ calendar for some time, as GW’s loss to the Bearcats last season was one of the biggest signs that last year’s team was in trouble.

While the Colonials seem to be deeper and more talented on paper than the Bearcats (save for maybe a pair of skilled Bearcat guards), that’s probably what was said about last year’s game. This article, though, makes it seem like Binghamton head coach and former GW assistant Kevin Broadus doesn’t have much confidence coming into the game.

The real news tonight, however, is that ESPN personality Tony Kornheiser is in the Smith Center. Kornheiser is a Binghamton alumnus, and his daughter recently graduated from GW. It’s tough to say which is cooler –– Kornheiser in the Smith Center or rapper Coolio’s appearance the Colonials’ last game in Boston. We’ll give the edge to Kornheiser.

10:41 p.m. GW’s stat sheet was updating so fast I forgot to blog the last few minutes. Let’s just say there were plenty of smiling faces on the Colonials bench tonight. GW 77, Coppin State 36. Full story on the front soon.

8:50 p.m.  The Colonials now lead 53-27. Stefani Munro has scored a pair of fast break baskets and now has six points.

8:40 p.m. GW has forced the Eagles into three turnovers already this half. Jessica Adair is dominating the paint on both ends against opponents comparable in size, but not in athleticism.

8:20 p.m. It’s 42-21 GW at the half. The Colonials have shot 50 percent from the floor –– Coppin state is shooting just 23 percent. It’s hard to tell whether the Eagles’ poor shooting performance was caused by stifling defense or just poor skills. Suffice it to say that there is no question which is the better team in the Smith Center tonight. 

Parrish has 9 points on a trio of three-pointers, but Jazmine Adair leads GW with 10 points. She’s 5-of-6 from the floor.

8:10 p.m. The Colonials are continuing to pile it on against the Eagles. While Coppin State is certainly no Top 25 team, GW fans should be pleased with how many Colonials have been offensively effective in many different ways tonight.

8:00 p.m. GW up 29-10 with just under 7 minutes left in the half. The Colonials are getting plenty involved on offense — six players have at least three points.

7:51 p.m. Colonials 24, Eagles 9 with 10 minutes left in the half. Coppin State really has shown no offensive talent so far. It hasn’t been hard for GW to work up its lead. Coach Mike Bozeman has already worked 13 players into the game.

7:45 p.m. GW now up 17-8, six minutes in. GW is really working the ball well now, slicing passes through a somewhat porous Coppin State defense. 

7:38 p.m. GW up 9-4 with just a few minutes gone. The Colonials haven’t had much of an organized offense except for a smooth pick and roll with Parrish and Adair. Rivera just entered for Munro.

7:28 p.m. Starters for GW will be Jessica Adair, Tiana Myers, Antelia Parrish, Stefani Munro, and Ivy Abiona.

Just more than 10 minutes till tip off in the GW women’s basketball team’s game against Coppin State at the Smith Center. Both teams are on the floor, but Coppin State only walked into the building at about 6:30. They appeared to be lost — I caught them heading into the Lerner Health and Wellness Center before turning around and finding the Smith Center.

The Eagles, while mostly unknown, did win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last year and do have some serious size on their roster. They return two of their top four scorers from last season.

11:00 p.m. Certainly a fun way to start the season. GW maybe shouldn’t have won that game, but the persistence from new players and the old ones that struggled early should be good to see for coach Hobbs. Check the front page for a full story soon.

9:27 p.m  GW wins, 63-58. More after the press conference.

9:25 p.m. GW up three, at the line, 10.5 seconds left. 

9:22 p.m. GW up one on Hollis layup. Double-dribble on BU gives GW the ball with 31.2 seconds left.

9:21 p.m. BU’s Carlos Strong hits two from the line, BU by 1. 90 seconds to go.

9:20 p.m. Hollis hits 1-of-2 from the line, GW by 1.

9:18 p.m. Opoku converts a three-point play. Tied at 56, 2 minutes left.

9:16 p.m. GW has their heads back in it. Witherspoon off the glass for two, GW down three. 2:30 to go.

9:14 p.m. BU’s John Holland hits a three, Terriers by 5.

9:12 p.m. Now in overtime, BU out ahead by 2, 30 seconds into the period.

9:09 p.m.  GW can’t convert and BU gets a breakaway layup. Tied at 51, we’re going to overtime.

9:07 p.m.  GW makes a stop on D but almost gives it away. BU called out of bounds though. GW ball up two with 15 seconds left. 

9:04 p.m. Diggs makes two big free throws. GW up 2 with 1:07 left. On the court, Witherspoon, Hollis, Alexander, Taylor, Ware.

9:03 p.m. Hollis has a huge steal, Hobbs calls timeout. GW ball in crunch time with two freshmen in the game. 

9:00 p.m. Still tied at 49, 2 minutes left. BU passes out of bounds, GW ball.

8:55 p.m. Witherspoon off the glass for two. Tied at 49. BU timeout with 2:39 left.

8:54 p.m. Taylor just went down hard on his left knee. Witherspoon was helping him up immediately, but trainer Chris Duncan had to come out and attend to Taylor. Taylor, though is back in and shooting two. He misses both — GW down two 49-47, four minutes left.

8:53 p.m.  GW down two, Terriers’ ball. This game just picked up intensity — and the crowd is back in it.

8:51 p.m.  GW back up on a BIG three from Witherspoon.

8:48 p.m. Opoku makes two free throws to cut the lead to two, 44-42 with 7 minutes left.

8:42 p.m. Hobbs is upset with a call on the baseline. He gets a warning from the referee. GW down 44-40 with 8 minutes to go.

8:41 p.m. Diggs is having a tough time against Boston big man Jeff Pelage. Opoku now in the page in his spot.

8:35 p.m. Starters in for GW, down 6. 

8:29 p.m. Hermann Opoku throws down a dunk and then goes and makes a block on the other end of the floor. BU’s John Holland has hits a three though, and the Terriers lead 41-35 with 12 to play.

8:24 p.m. Hollis, still with 0 points, just got called for another charge. Seemed like a flop for sure from our angle. Terriers up 37-33 with Diggs at the line.

8:22 p.m. GW down three 34-31 with 16 minutes left. Not sure what to make of this, but GW players have fallen a number of times tonight — specifically Alexander and Witherspoon. Alexander was just complaining to the referees that the court was slippery on the low blocks, but it’s been happening at multiple places on the floor. 

8:17 p.m. Terriers up 32-27 two minutes into the second half. Taylor seems a little more timid this half, as he’s been moving the ball much slower up the court.

8:07 p.m. Also, COOLIO IS IN THE BUILDING. That is all.

8:00 p.m. BU up 29-24 at the half. A lot can be said about GW’s first half. Defensively, the Colonials were stifling at some points –– but they made a couple of huge mistakes that led to big baskets too. Rob Diggs and Damian Hollis combined for just 2 points on offense in the first half, but two three-pointers from Noel Wilmore, a few jumpers from Witherspoon and free throws from Taylor have limited the deficit to five.

On a separate note, BU is celebrating its 100th year of basketball this season, and they’re conducting a commemoration of the 1958-59 Terriers team that made the elite eight. GW “celebrated” its 100th anniversary last year.

7:54 p.m. The Terriers have widened their lead to 29-23 on an emphatic dunk after a Colonials’ miscue that left no defender back. BU certainly has the momentum going into halftime.

7:47 p.m. Terriers up 24-23 after GW got caught out of position in transition and surrendered a three-pointer from the baseline. Witherspoon has hit a few of his patented mid-range jumpers to keep GW going in the last few minutes.

7:41 p.m. Ball game now tied at 16 after a Boston floater from the free-throw line. The last stat update had GW with 9 turnovers — Boston with 2.

7:36 p.m. Peter Laplante now in for Rob Diggs. Colonials lead has been cut to two with 7 minutes left in the half.

7:32 p.m. Rob Diggs has been quite effective on D so far. He’s got at least three blocks in 11 minutes. Aaron Ware hasn’t come close to making a layup on one of his three slashes to the hoop, but the fact that he’s getting into the paint has to be a welcome sight for GW fans who were unhappy with the amount of perimeter passing GW employed last year.

7:28 p.m. Joseph Katuka in the game now, but he travels on his first step with the ball in the post. That’s the second time that’s happened to GW tonight, with Damian Hollis committing the walk in the first minutes of the game.

7:23 p.m.  12 minutes left in the first half with GW up 14-8. Tony Taylor has been sticking a hand in the face of BU’s point guard on every possession. His tight defense really seems to be helping the rest of the Colonials on defense, as the Terriers are having trouble getting getting good looks off the pass.

7:17 p.m. We’re at the first TV timeout with GW up 12-6. Multiple players have showed some moves both offensively and defensively. The BU crowd is loud, but if GW can keep the energy it’s had going, they can keep the crowd out of it.

7:13 p.m. A floater from Wynton Witherspoon and a three from Xavier Alexander have GW up 9-0. Travis King and Noel Wilmore just entered the game.

7:10 p.m. GW starting out with a full-court press on defense. Have a steal and a block so far, with Tony Taylor’s energy earning all four GW in free throws.

7:04 p.m. Starting lineups are correct. BU going all out on their player introductions. Tip off in two minutes –– estimated attendance is around 2500.

—

Just three minutes until the kick off of the 2008-09 GW men’s basketball season at Agganis Arena in Boston. A large contingent of what appears to be Boston University seniors have filed in, each donning a white hard hat. (There was a seniors barbecue before the game, but rumor has it that the BU student section will be packed tonight as kids must attend the basketball game in order to receive a ticket for the Coolio concert later on tonight. I’m not kidding.)

GW game notes have probable starters as Xavier Alexander, Tony Taylor, Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, and Damian Hollis, with Travis King starting out on the bench.