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Friday, March 15, 2013 12:31 a.m.

Late Massachusetts rally halts GW postseason run in Brooklyn

by Elizabeth Traynor

GW vs UMass at the 2013 A10 Tournament from The GW Hatchet on Vimeo.

Senior forward Dwayne Smith drives against a Massachusetts opponent during Thursday’s game. Viktors Dindzans for The Hatchet

BROOKLYN, N.Y.- It would be easy to overlook tonight’s ending as one stereotypical of GW’s 2012-13 season: lost by a thin margin in the final seconds.

That would be discounting the multiple players who were performing through injury. It would be discounting the thin trickle of blood that ran down freshman forward Patricio Garino’s forearm after a particularly ugly first-half foul. It would be discounting the grimace on freshman guard Kethan Savage’s face as his ankle was taped so he could return to the floor.

It would be discounting that Massachusetts head coach Derek Kellogg called his team “very fortunate” to have escaped with a 77-72 victory in the first round of the A-10 tournament. It would be ignoring the Colonials’ effort Thursday night.

“I think we played really hard. That’s what I love about this team. I think we always come to fight,” freshman guard Joe McDonald said. “We just came up a little short this time.”

The Colonials (13-17) were within three of Massachusetts at halftime, thanks to two key factors of their play. One, rebounding, was somewhat expected. The other, GW’s success at the line, arguably was not.

The team went 13-15 at the line in the first half, an 86.7 percentage that was a marked departure from the lackluster free throw performances in recent games. It was an important improvement for the team, who saw its shooting ability slip a little over the first 20 minutes of play. The Colonials had many chances, but struggled to convert, missing layups and jumpers en route to a 9-34 first-half shooting performance.

Adding to the first-half frustrations was GW’s 0-5 shooting from three, a statistic Massachusetts took advantage of by sinking three treys of their own.

“The second half was much better, our free throw shooting was better, but we were 0-8 from threes,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “We’ve got to keep that lead.”

Still, over the first 20 minutes of play, neither team’s energy dampened. There were nine ties and five lead changes before the break, with each side battling to maintain an ever-slim lead.

 

Senior forward Isaiah Armwood tries to get a hand in front of Maxie Esho’s shot. Viktors Dindzans for The Hatchet

This fighting mentality was crucial to GW’s performance. Once, twice, thrice it would strike at the basket, earning an 11-6 margin on second-chance points and a 29-16 advantage on the boards.

That tenacity, that follow-through, didn’t quit after the break. The game came down to the wire, and GW toughed it out, ending with a crushing 50-32 rebounding advantage.

“We have pretty good size in there with [senior forward] Isaiah [Armwood], so if the guy has a ball and drives it or something, that’s fine with us,” Lonergan said.

But the shooting struggles haunted the Colonials until the end. They finished the game shooting just 38.8 percent, a 26-67 performance. The team struggled at times against the Minutemen’s press, too, with 18 turnovers over the game.

Further hurting GW was its 0-8 performance from beyond the arc, a crippling statistic given Massachusetts’ seven treys over play. Three of those came from former Colonial recruit Trey Davis, who seemed to nail crucial buckets every time the ball was placed into his hands. Redshirt junior guard Chaz Williams, too, seemed determined to will his team to victory, making crucial driving layups down the stretch.

“[Williams] sort of took over, with his speed. I think we had some tired legs, and just didn’t get back on defense,” Lonergan said. “We made some mistakes, left Trey Davis open for wide-open shots. Those were key plays for us.”

GW hung on through its defense. Crushing Massachusetts on the offensive boards was a key part of the Colonials’ gameplan, and the one-two punch of Armwood and freshman forward Kevin Larsen in the low post proved lethal at times.

The heavy-pressure zone kept Massachusetts from boxing out and it drew costly fouls that saw two Minutemen sit down in the final five minutes, including their-then leading scorer, Terrell Vinson.

“I knew we had to mix our defenses up,” Lonergan said. “Even with the four or five point lead, I knew we were going to have to score more.”

Larsen was one of four players who scored in double digits for GW,  adding 17 points and seven assists. Senior guard Lasan Kromah added 11 points and four assists, while McDonald posted 10 points, three assists and four steals.

Freshman guard Kethan Savage gets his ankle taped early in the second half. Viktors Dindzans for The Hatchet

It was Armwood who was the monster for the Colonials, though. He recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 assists – but said he wasn’t playing with a chip on his shoulder after being passed over for A-10 awards earlier this week.

“I play like that every game, especially on the boards, so I was playing like that because we wanted to win. We wanted to move on and advance to the next round,” Armwood said. “We didn’t want to come up here and say we came to Brooklyn for fun.”

And so, though it will be easy to look back at this game for everything it was not, it may be more important to examine what it was. It was GW’s first A-10 championship game on a neutral site since 2007. It was a high-stakes, high-pressure environment.

And it was a sign that this program could have a bright future.

“I’m not a good loser. It’s hard to finish the season 13-17, 10-21 last year. Our schedule is going to be really tough next year,” Lonergan said. “I think we’ve got a good nucleus now.”

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Saturday, March 2, 2013 6:53 p.m.

Closing Saint Louis run hands GW loss against No. 18/19 Billikens

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman forward Kevin Larsen battles a tough Saint Louis defense at the Smith Center on Saturday. Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

There weren’t any dramatic last-minute shots, or devastated players crumpling to the court. There weren’t any shouts, or disbelieving glances at the scoreboard.

But there wasn’t an upset, either. There wasn’t a rush onto the court, and there weren’t a few overjoyed players celebrating the sort of statement victory they’ve been seeking all season.

The quiet ending of GW’s loss to No. 18/19 (AP/USA Today) Saint Louis didn’t tell the whole story. As the two teams left the court, the Billikens walked away with a 66-58 victory. The Colonials walked away knowing they had, at one point, possessed a slim lead that brought with it the potential for an unexpected victory.

“Up three with seven minutes left, with three timeouts left, I thought we were in great shape,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “And we definitely had trouble getting to the line, trouble scoring. So once they got that lead, it’s hard.”

As Saint Louis got out to an early 6-0 start, the Colonials (12-15, 6-8 A-10) struggled to get inside. Shot after shot was stuffed, and the team’s post play suffered.

But after the first media timeout, GW seemed to take the court with renewed energy, feeding off freshman forward Kevin Larsen and senior forward Isaiah Armwood. Larsen was able to explode for ten first-half points, while Armwood patrolled the post, pulling down six boards. It was enough to push GW to 20-14 first-half points in the paint advantage, critical against the Billikens’ more successful shooters.

Up six at halftime, Saint Louis gleaned much of its strength off of two shooting areas where it was able to dominate GW: from three and from the charity stripe. The Billikens made four treys over the course of the first, and further widened the gap thanks to GW’s 3-for-7 line on free throws.

“Their guards were actually straight line driving us, taking us to the rim,” Lonergan said. “I knew in the second half, we were going to try to play some 1-3-1 to keep that from happening. Because we can’t get enough help the way their bigs shoot threes. Their bigs play like guards.”

Out of the break, the Colonials refocused on attacking their opponent, turning on the sort of pressure that’s stymied them so many times this season.

Switching into a zone, GW was able to disrupt Saint Louis’ game: setting screens, posting up and cutting down the Billikens’ ability to drive through the lane. It paid off: Saint Louis struggled to regain an offensive rhythm, and the Colonials took advantage of that on the other end to use a 16-4 run that gave the team a slim one-point lead.

“We were trying to speed up the tempo with the 1-3-1, and really get the ball out of the shooter’s hands,” senior guard Lasan Kromah said.

And for a while, the game stayed that tight. As Saint Louis started to find ways around GW’s zones and through its doubleteams, the two teams traded baskets. The lead volleyed back and forth, never by more than a point or two.

Slowly, though, the Billikens began to pull away. A trickle of scoring gradually turned into a stream, and combined with ill-timed Colonial turnovers, Saint Louis closed on a 21-10 run to put the game away.

“We were trying to play physical,” Lonergan said. “We missed some easy shots, our guys felt they were getting fouled. We just didn’t get any calls. It’s tough.”

Much of Saint Louis’ advantage came at the line. Though GW was able to control the perimeter more tightly, allowing just one trey in the second half, it was crippled by its 53.3 percent free throw shooting.

The Billikens shot 87.5 percent from the charity stripe- and scored many of those points down their crucial final stretch.

“I thought we just had some defensive breakdowns and they had a lot of free throws,” Kromah said. “And they made a lot of free throws. And we were sending them to the line a lot.”

The Colonials found some offensive success in the paint, with Larsen leading the charge again for 14 points and four boards. Armwood recorded five blocks on the day, adding 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Dwayne Smith and Kromah added 10 and 12 point, respectively. The two were responsible for all but three of the Colonial bench’s points in the game, the sort of veteran presence Lonergan looks for in his seniors.

“We want to leave here saying that we did something for our school, something to remember in years going on,” Kromah said. “It’s really important for us. We try to get the young guys focused, too.”

But at this point in the season, moral victories can ring hollow.

With a postseason bid and a trip to Brooklyn on the line, Lonergan and his players want just one thing- for the final scoreboard to show a Colonial victory.

“This time of the season, there’s no time for a moral victory. We have to get some wins under our belt,” Kromah said. “These next two games are going to be really important for us.”

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Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 10:12 p.m.

Colonials see 14-point lead unravel in loss at Richmond

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman forward Patricio Garino attempts to lay it in against Richmond. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

RICHMOND- In the end, what proved to be the Colonials’ undoing in their 73-63 loss was momentum.

GW seemed to have a lot of it at the beginning of the first, exploding out with a double-digit lead. But as the buzzer sounded on the first 20 minutes of play, it was a deflated lineup that exited the court.

In a pair of Richmond free throws, the second shot banked off the glass. The Spiders quickly recovered, stealing it and sinking a three-pointer that brought them within one. Seconds later, another Spiders free throw sent the teams into the locker room tied at 36.

GW’s momentum was soundly shaken, especially in a streaky game that saw 54 fouls stop the clock.

“We had some huge momentum plays we gave them. I thought we’d regroup at halftime,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “It’s frustrating. The game was called very tightly.”

At first, the story of the first half seemed to be GW’s offense, which was firing on all cylinders to open the game. Holding Richmond without a field goal for over eight minutes, the Colonials (12-14, 6-7) jumped out to a 21-7 lead early in the half.

Trying to inject some life into his team, Spiders head coach Chris Mooney went berserk on the sidelines, and was promptly handed a technical foul. The strategy worked- Richmond went on a 13-4 run, completely closing the gap by the halftime buzzer.

“I don’t know if those things are accurate or not,” Mooney said. “I was more upset with how we were playing, and thought we weren’t energized. I thought we needed to be more so.”

Further hurting GW, and helping the Spiders claw back into the game, were the 29 total first-half fouls. Seven of those came in a row against the Colonials, giving Richmond a significant edge.

The Colonials could only shoot 65.5 percent from the line, further helping the Spiders climb out of their hole. And all of GW’s starters were saddled with two fouls over the course of the first.

It took freshman guard Joe McDonald and freshman forward Patricio Garino out of the game for significant stretches of time, disrupting the Colonials’ already-depleted offensive flow. Richmond took advantage of the adjustment, spreading GW’s offense out and holding many of its usual shooters quiet.

“We’ve got a guy, [senior guard] Lasan Kromah, that we need to step up. And I don’t know what was wrong with him tonight, but he had seven turnovers and that’s hard to overcome,” Lonergan said. “Right now he’s our backup point guard.”

Out of the break, it was more of the same. The Colonials exploded out on a 10-3 run, gaining a clear advantage, until the fouls started to rack up. Garino and McDonald were saddled with their third, then fourth. Garino fouled out. With 13 seconds left, so did McDonald.

And the Spiders slowly closed the gap.

It all began to unravel. Richmond continued to capitalize on the fouls. The Colonials attempted shots that were too flashy for a tight game. And the Spiders sunk three consecutive treys, tying it and then pulling ahead. Again, GW struggled to defend the perimeter, Richmond sinking eight throughout the game. The Colonials made one.

“It’s their whole game. But when you’re struggling to guard them off the dribble, and you’re trying to hide some guys defensively, you have to play a little more zone,” Lonergan said. “Some guys just didn’t have any energy. We gave up too many open looks, that’s for sure.”

The momentum was on the Spiders’ side. And they converted it, finding a way around GW, taking their defenders to the rim and crashing the paint when they weren’t draining long outside shots.

Richmond shot 40.4 percent on the game, which belies its final advantage. Though GW’s final shooting percentage was higher – 53.7 – , the Spiders used their edge in free throws and treys to pull away.

Senior guard Lasan Kromah looks for an opening Wednesday night. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

“Give them credit. They’re a good shooting team. We couldn’t guard them off the dribble, we had to play a little too much 1-3-1,” Lonergan said. “And they missed a couple and then they got hot and hit a couple.”

Once the lead began to slip, so, too did the rest of GW’s play. Against a Richmond team that slowly ramped up its pressure and intensity over the game, the Colonials turned it over 22 times. They were slips that Richmond turned into 19 points.

Along with Kromah, many of the upperclassmen couldn’t inject life into Wednesday’s game. The bench tallied just 14 points, and against the worst rebounding team in the league, GW got just a 31-28 advantage on the boards.

“There was a period where it was rough to get a feel for the game, to get into a rhythm,” freshman forward Kevin Larsen said. “But we shouldn’t be fouling like that. It was dumb fouls on our part.”

Larsen continued to be a bright spot for the Colonials, adding a career-high 16 points and five boards. Freshman guard Kethan Savage was next, with 12 points, followed by senior forward Isaiah Armwood, with eight points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Still, it came down to momentum. And losing the 14-point edge, watching a lead evaporate, and seeing starting player after starting player hit the bench in foul trouble shook the Colonials’ confidence.

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Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 10:59 a.m.

Kevin Larsen named A-10 rookie of the week

by Elizabeth Traynor
basketball, St. Joe's

Freshman Kevin Larsen holds back a Hawks defender while Joe McDonald attempts to carry the ball to the net Saturday afternoon at Saint Joseph’s University. Hatchet File Photo by Becky Crowder | Senior Staff Photographer

Men’s basketball freshman forward Kevin Larsen is the A-10 rookie of the week, the second Colonial to earn the honor this season after Joe McDonald’s award in November.

Over two league games last week, Larsen averaged 12.0 points on 50 percent shooting, adding an average of 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

The Copenhagen, Denmark native started the week with a career-high 15 points in GW’s victory over Fordham, and added nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Colonials’ loss at Saint Joseph’s.

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Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 10:11 p.m.

Colonials rebound with victory over Fordham

by Elizabeth Traynor

Yes, the Colonials walked away with a win against Fordham Wednesday night, but it wasn’t a victory unmarred by frustration.

GW went just 17-37 at the line, a 45.9 free throw percentage that was its second-worst of the season. Shot after shot clanged off the rim, or ricocheted off the glass, or – at the worst moments – missed the backboard entirely.

basketball

Dwayne Smith leaps past Fordham defenders in the first half of Wednesday night’s game. Zach Krahmer | Senior Staff Photographer

It was the third time in four games the team shot below 56 percent from the line. The frustration was evident on the faces of the players and the coaches sitting on the bench, and it was a statistic that followed the Colonials into the locker room, even after a 68-60 victory over the Rams.

“Yesterday, we actually shot 150 free throws each. Charted them and everything, and sometimes it’s just contagious,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “It kept them in the game. It’s a shame, because it took away from a really good defensive effort by our team. It got to the point where it was just sort of ridiculous, some people were booing. I probably would have booed, too, if I paid for my ticket.”

Futher frustrating the team was the loss of senior guard Bryan Bynes, who left the game after halftime with a right knee injury. Lonergan said he had yet to talk to team trainers, and hoped it wasn’t a serious complication. Still, the loss of Bynes disrupted the flow of GW’s offense, taking away a senior presence from the floor.

“I knew his knee was bothering him in the first half, and he was kind of limping around, but [senior guard] Joe [McDonald] had two fouls and we played him,” Lonergan said. “He was playing well, too. And that really hurt us. That really hurt us against their pressure.”

Trying to make up for its underwhelming performance at the line, GW tried to exploit a smaller Fordham team with dishes inside the paint. Faced with its usual three-point struggles (just 1-8 on the night), GW turned its offensive attention to the lane, grabbing a 44-20 points in the paint advantage on the game.

The bench also proved to be a key aid in GW’s often-slim lead, tallying a commanding 20-3 edge in bench points before halftime. Those efforts were key in the team’s final 44.6 shooting percentage, and a major factor in the Colonials’ eventual victory.

“When the game started, it was a little bit of a slow start. Our position was to just come in and really have a spark, really turn things around, and really provide energy for the team,” senior guard Lasan Kromah said. “We just came in to do what we normally do.”

GW switched between defenses as they tried to halt Fordham’s tendency to score in bunches, finding most success in heavy-pressing zones that saw the Colonials contain hot Fordham scorers with aggressive double-teams.

The follow-through GW continued to display throughout the game ultimately pushed it to victory, fighting off Rams rallies until the final buzzer. The Colonials turned it over 14 times, but forced 22 Fordham turnovers that GW converted into 27 additional points. GW’s tenacity came through in its second-chance points, as well, posting 20 to Fordham’s five.

“They really care and the guys really play hard. I give a lot of credit to [senior forward] Isaiah Armwood, he’s really come in here and it’s cool to play hard again,” Lonergan said. “Isaiah leads by example, and when Lasan brings it like he did tonight, when he’s focused and playing defense, we’re kind of a good defensive team.”

Kromah added 13 points and four steals, Armwood paced GW in rebounds, with 12, and added eight points of his own.

A key player for the Colonials yet again was freshman forward Kevin Larsen, who had a career-high 15 points and five rebounds. But beyond his contributions on the stat sheet, Larsen became invaluable in aiding his teammates’ performances, setting screens and dishing out lazer passes that helped the rest of GW make plays.

“I was just trying to work off the VCU game and keep being aggressive. My teammates fed me the ball in a position I really like,” Larsen said. “It just went in today.”

But frustrations aside, it was an important win for the Colonials. After facing two of the toughest A-10 teams back-to-back, the game against Fordham was a “must-win,” Lonergan said.

“Obviously, we played a good game against Butler and lost and then got drilled at VCU, so we had to win this game,” Lonergan said. “We’re going to have to play much better now at Saint Joe’s on Saturday.”

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Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 10:27 p.m.

Colonials falter in the face of VCU’s havoc

by Elizabeth Traynor

RICHMOND, VA.- The Colonials probably drove past the billboard touting Havoc on their way into Richmond.

They definitely glimpsed H-A-V-O-C lettered on the back of VCU’s warmups. And they couldn’t avoid the giant black and yellow flag that covered the entire student section, informing GW that “HAVOC Lives Here!”

The subject in question was VCU’s infamous havoc defense, the intense press that was the subject of recent Sports Illustrated examination and that’s resulted in the Rams leading the nation in total steals, steals per game and forced turnovers per game. Saturday night, it lead to an 84-57 loss, the most points an opponent has scored against GW this season.

“Our biggest weakness, aside from our lack of outside shooting ability, is handling pressure,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “This is a game I’ve been worried about for awhile, because you can’t really do it in practice, what they’re going to do, unless you put six guys out there. I never thought we would not calm down after awhile. And we never really did.”

At first, it seemed as if GW was poised to give VCU a taste of its own medicine, getting out to an 8-2 lead off the strength of its man defense. But the game soon became one of Rams runs, which the Colonials tried to halt with a switch into a zone.

Re-evaluating, VCU simply began to attack GW’s zone from the perimeter. Looping in multiple treys over the course of the first, the Rams slowly extended their lead before closing the half on a 14-2 run for an 18-point advantage.

Senior forward Isaiah Armwood goes up for an aggressive layup against a formidable VCU defense. Cory Weinberg | Hatchet Staff Photographer

“We tried to play a little 2-3 zone and had two mental lapses there and left the best shooter wide open,” Lonergan said. “That run at the end of the first half killed us. The game was basically over then.”

The Rams were able to supplement their defense with hot-handed shooting on the night, finishing with a 53.5 field goal percentage that included eight three-pointers. Though four players scored in double figures for VCU, particularly potent was junior forward Juvonte Reddic, who finished with 24 points and 10 boards on 11-13 shooting.

As VCU’s offensive firepower grew, so, too did its defensive crackdown. Unleashing the havoc press, the Rams forced 15 turnovers in the first alone, disrupting GW’s transition.

The Colonials continued to struggle with ball control over the final 20 minutes of play, finishing with 25 total turnovers, tying its highest total of the season, that VCU turned into 27 points. Freshman guard Joe McDonald struggled particularly in the face of the press, turning it over eight times.

“Their pressure is really good but we turned the ball over a lot on our own,” Lonergan said. “The first play of the game, we threw the ball away for no apparent reason. We definitely were shook a little bit, some guys.”

But even when the Colonials got it past the halfcourt line, they struggled to find the net, going 5-19 over the first.  Though the team upped its percentage in the second half, it still couldn’t assert a true offensive edge, finishing with a 38.9 field goal percentage. Going just 14-25 at the line, GW failed to capitalize on valuable opportunities.

“I think it’s mental toughness, it’s not nerves about the game or anything,” freshman forward Patricio Garino said. “We just have to get focused and make the free throws.”

A bright spot for GW was freshman forward Kevin Larsen, who was able to assert an advantage inside. He came close to picking up his first collegiate double-double with ten points and nine boards, and was also instrumental in aiding GW’s trips down the court.

“It was just me playing with a high intensity level. Coach has talked to me about that all week, so I was just trying to go out and play hot and it worked,” Larsen said. “But my man scored a lot on me, so I don’t really care about the stat sheet. I’m just trying to improve my defense for the next game.”

Larsen was joined in double-digits by Garino, who added 10 of his own. McDonald had eight points, while senior forward Dwayne Smith added seven off the bench.

Still, it was the kind of blowout loss GW hasn’t seen a lot of recently, and it will fall to Lonergan to ensure it doesn’t crush his team’s confidence moving forward.

“I definitely think there were nerves there,” Lonergan said. “We’ll watch the film on the way back and we have two days to prepare for Fordham.”

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Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 10:49 p.m.

Colonials get bounce-back win at Duquesne

by Nick Ong

Senior forward Isaiah Armwood about to score against Duquesne, en route to his sixth double-double of the season. Nick Ong | Hatchet staff photographer

GW got exactly what it needed out of Wednesday’s game against Duquesne: a bounce-back win.

And unlike many of the team’s games this season, there was no last second possession or chance at a buzzer beater that would decide the game. This one was decided from the very start, as GW coasted to hand the Dukes their tenth straight loss, 79-57. It was a dominant victory that sets up arguably the team’s biggest home game in over a decade when Butler heads to the Smith Center Saturday.

Finding the offensive rhythm they have been searching for all season, the Colonials got out to a hot start in the first half.  Guards were open along the perimeter to knock down threes, lanes were open for the drive or drop off, and the floor was spread out to run and get in transition.

“We got off to a real good start offensively,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “We shot 54 percent in the first half, but for the first five minutes we probably shot 80 percent.”

It wasn’t quite 80 percent, but the Colonials did go 5-11 from behind the arc in the first half, led by 3-4 shooting from senior guard Lasan Kromah. For the game, GW shot 50.8 percent from the field, making use of the offensive flow created by the team’s 20 assists.

The strong bench play from Kromah helped spark the team’s offense and seemed to be contagious to the other Colonials waiting on the sideline.  GW’s bench outscored the Dukes 28-8 in the first half, and went on to extend that margin to 40-18 by games’ end.

“I think we tired them out with our bench,” Lonergan said. “We played a lot of guys and got a lot of production.”

Perhaps GW’s strongest performance of the night though came from inside the paint. Having started four different centers this year, Duquesne has struggled to find a consistent inside presence, and the Colonials took advantage of that hole.

Using both senior forward Isaiah Armwood and freshman Kevin Larsen, the Colonials completely controlled the inside on both ends of the court. For the game, GW outscored the Dukes 44-14 in the paint, outrebounded them 47-27, and led 14-6 on second chance point opportunities.

“So that was definitely our game plan, to get the ball inside,” Lonergan said.  “And then to take the threes away from them because they’re guard oriented.”

Armwood would go on to post a double-double for the Colonials, scoring 14 points and adding 13 boards to his stat sheet.  GW didn’t need any dramatic shots from the senior forward, but his sixth double-double of the season was a valuable contribution to the stat sheet.

Down 10 points at the half, Duquesne needed to make some adjustments, and it did- switching out of its man-to-man defense in favor of a 2-3 zone. For the time being, GW’s offense was stalled, unable to get inside and doing nothing more than swinging the ball along the perimeter.

As Lonergan said though, the Colonials’ consistent production off the bench and hard defense on the opposite end ultimately left the Dukes winded, and that spilled over to their defense as well.

Soon, GW’s ten point half time lead was up to 20, and soon, GW was on its way to a smooth road win- its third straight when away from the Smith Center.

Leading the way for the Colonials was Kromah’s hot hand, who had a game high 19 points while grabbing six boards.  Kromah took advantage of the help side oriented Duke’s defense and hit the open shots when he had them. Despite spending tonight, and much of the season, coming off the bench, Kromah has begun to embrace his role as a sixth man.

“The main goal for the team is just to win games no matter who starts,” Kromah said.  “You know it’s about who finishes the game.  And I come in and try to produce as much as possible to help my team win.”

If there had to be one criticism of GW’s performance it would be their free throw shooting.  The team took a step back at the line tonight, going 8-18 from the charity stripe- much like it did in contests earlier in the season.

Still, the bounce back win signifies something important for the Colonials- they’re getting tougher. Even more, it gives the team valuable momentum coming off a loss to La Salle and heading into Saturday’s contest against No. 14 Butler.

 

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Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 10:06 p.m.

Colonials grab second narrow win at Rhode Island

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman forward Patricio Garino leaps through Rhode Island defenders for a bucket. Elizabeth Traynor | Hatchet Staff Photographer

KINGSTON, R.I. - Wednesday night, the Colonials learned just how frustrating a win can be.

A frustrating win is one with 19 ties and 20 lead changes. It’s one with nearly identical field goal percentages, turnovers and assists. It’s one where a team just clears the 50 percent benchmark in its free throw shooting.

As GW walked off the court with its narrow 66-65 victory, completing a New England sweep on the season, it had learned that a win can often be as maddening as a loss. But the end result feels a lot sweeter.

“That was a little uneasy. We felt like we should have won by  a lot more. They were at home, so that was a big thing for them, but I’m glad we stuck this one out,” freshman guard Joe McDonald said. “It feels good because now, we’re starting to win the close games and make the plays when we need it.”

Still, McDonald acknowledged with a laugh, the team expects to hear about its free-throw shooting from head coach Mike Lonergan. The freshman added that he knows it’ll be a part of their next practice.

GW (9-9, 3-2 A-10) went 12-24 from the charity stripe, including 5-12 in the second half alone. Had it sunk those free chances, the final margin of victory could have been a lot more comfortable.

“We left six straight points at the foul line in a close game, so that was kind of disappointing,” Lonergan said. “To be five for 12 in the second half, that was tough. That was how [Rhode Island] got back into the game.”

Presented with a shifting Rhode Island offense that relied heavily on pick-and-rolls, GW struggled to implement a consistent approach in the first. It switched from a man-to-man into a zone, only to get attacked from beyond the perimeter.

The Rams stayed with the Colonials nearly every step of the way on the first: draining matching threes, nabbing identical steals, and taking trips to the line in pairs. The duality reflected in many categories of the stat sheet. The two teams shot almost the same on the first: 45.8 for GW, 45.5 for the Rams. And each struggled from the line, though the Colonials were worse off, making just seven of 12 chances.

“They get their guys to play hard, and they were all over Joe,” Lonergan said. “It’s just hard to get us in an offense because they were harassing him so much. But I thought he did a great job keeping his composure.”

The similarity between the two teams would stick over the rest of play. They would volley between silky treys and sloppy turnovers, between crushing defense and passes into the wrong hands.

GW shot 51 percent on the game, while the Rams tallied a field goal percentage of 50 percent. It was a tight contest, and the Colonials clung on with a slightly better plan in the paint and on the glass. They nabbed a 34-25 rebounding advantage, and outscored URI in the paint 32-20.

“We definitely did a great job rebounding,” Lonergan said. “We got to the line, we just didn’t take advantage of it.”

But the Rams hung around, taking advantage of GW scoring slumps to go on runs of their own. With the Colonials unable to take advantage of their opportunities at the line, Rhode Island used its shooting to stay in the game.

Three-point shots were followed by long, athletic jumpers, the kind a GW zone or pressure couldn’t seem to stop from falling. Rams junior guard Xavier Munford was particularly dangerous, adding 20 points on his own, followed by senior forward Nikola Malesevic, who had 16.

“We just wanted to give them a lot of different looks. I think one of our main things is that we try not to let the best player beat us. Tonight, we didn’t do that great of a job,” McDonald said.

Senior forward Isaiah Armwood hooks in a shot in the first half. Elizabeth Traynor | Hatchet Staff Photographer

GW couldn’t quite match their output in a single shooter, but collectively, individual performances came together to keep the Colonials in the game. Freshman forward Kevin Larsen added 10 points, senior forward Isaiah Armwood had 13 and five boards, and McDonald had 12 points and three assists.

The Colonials’ bench was strong, posting a 21-6 points advantage on Rhode Island’s, a further sign of offensive growth that eluded the team earlier in the season.

“[Junior forward] Nemanja [Mikic] has been better. I thought he had a really good first half,” Lonergan said. “[Sophomore forward] John Kopriva, he missed some free throws, but he gave us a good boost. He got fouls on them, and they don’t play a lot of guys.”

And as the team braved the cold weather, heading back onto the bus in preparation for an early morning flight back to D.C., Lonergan stood in the bowels of the Ryan Center, contemplating the victory.

While it may have been a frustrating win, it was a resilient one, he said. And sometimes, to a young team, that’s almost more important.

“On the road, it’s not easy. They’re coming off their best win they’ve had in maybe two or three years at Saint Louis, so we knew they’d be ready to play,” Lonergan said. “

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Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 7:30 p.m.

Colonials drop first A-10 road game at Xavier

by Elizabeth Traynor

Head coach Mike Lonergan, clad in a Buff blazer for the occasion, calls to his team from the sidelines earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo by Samuel Klein | Contributing Photo Editor

Immediately out of halftime, senior forward Isaiah Armwood gripped the rim tightly as he slammed the ball home. Following his dunk was a quick layup from freshman forward Kevin Larsen, giving GW a quick 4-0 run out of the gates.

It was a glimpse into the spark of energy the Colonials seemed to discover at halftime, one that would follow the team until the final buzzer. But that jolt wasn’t enough to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit, and GW (7-8, 1-1) fell to Xavier 71-56.

“For whatever reason, we didn’t have a lot of effort in the first half,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “I give Xavier a lot of credit, they jumped on us right away.”

The first half was summarized aptly in the battle at the boards. Xavier entered the break with 22 rebounds; GW just six, with only one offensive board. Only three Colonial players tallied a rebound, compared to seven Muskateers, including senior forward Travis Taylor, who single-handedly outrebounded GW with eight.

It was a level of production the Colonials needed to jumpstart, and they did so in the second. GW outrebounded Xavier 22-11 on the second, including an 11-2 advantage on the offensive boards.

“You’re kind of embarrassed by your performance as players and a team,” Lonergan said, referring to the first half rebounding. “We knew we could get back in the game, we just had to play a lot harder.”

GW couldn’t seem to establish any sort of inside-out game over the first, and the frustration spread to its shooting. There was a lid on the basket as Colonial after Colonial saw their shots fail to fall, exiting the first shooting just 33.3 percent. Despite turning it over only four times, GW couldn’t find an offensive rhythm.

But aided by their resurgence on the boards, the Colonials established a heavier attack after the break. GW upped its shooting to 42.4 percent on the second, a slight increase that helped pull the team closer to the Muskateers. Though that wasn’t enough to overcome the halftime deficit, the Colonials continued to control the ball well, committing just nine turnovers on the game.

“I would like to see us get more assists. Our turnovers weren’t bad but we have to create scoring opportunities for other people,” Lonergan said. “When we did do that in the first half, we made some shots. We were 3-for-5 from three in the first half.”

Senior guard Lasan Kromah paced his team off the bench, adding 12 points, four boards and two assists. But the rest of GW struggled to make an impact, with freshman forward Patricio Garino and freshman guard Joe McDonald the next-highest scorers with nine and eight points, respectively.

“I thought Lasan played pretty good the second half and did a good job defensively, in the 1-3-1 up front. he created a little bit of havoc,” Lonergan said. “We just don’t have that consistent guy. They did a good job of taking our inside game away.”

Compouding the cold shooting, the Colonials couldn’t shut Xavier down over the first half of play. The Muskateers were hot-handed en route to 59.3 first-half shooting, as GW struggled to find a defense that would silence Xavier’s attack. Rotating between difference approaches, the Colonials were hard-pressed to halt their opponents.

The Muskateers didn’t slow over the second, maintaining a comfortable distance from GW down the stretch. Xavier shot 57.1 percent on the game, tallying three players in double-digits. Particularly potent were freshman guard Semaj Christon, who added 21 points and seven assists, and senior guard Brad Redford, who used GW’s 1-3-1 to attack from the outside. Redford drained seven treys en route to 21 points on the night, the only Xavier player able to penetrate the Colonials’ otherwise successful zone.

“He was the difference. He kept us singlehandedly from getting back into the game,” Lonergan said. “Those were killer three’s. They got the crowd into it too.”

The Colonials return home for another tough league opponent Wednesday, when they host Temple in the Smith Center.

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Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 9:56 p.m.

Colonials open Atlantic 10 play with win over defending champs

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior guard Lasan Kromah releases a free throw during a game against Rugters earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo by Priya Anand | Hatchet Staff Photographer

The road to the Atlantic 10 title, naturally, goes through the defending champions.

And while it was a markedly different St. Bonaventure squad that took the floor Wednesday night – missing last season’s offensive firepower Andrew Nicholson, now competing for the Orlando Magic – opening league play by toppling last year’s tournament champions 78-59 was a valuable victory for the Colonials (7-7, 1-0).

It was made a little sweeter, too, with the knowledge that it was a rematch of last year’s A-10 opener, when the Bonnies defeated GW.

“It feels good. To get to sit here and be number one in the league for a few days. It’s good that we came out here with intensity,” senior guard Lasan Kromah said. “We really have a good stepping stone going into A-10 play.”

The story of the Colonials’ first half was their offense, a dizzying series of dominant plays, all highlight-reel worthy, flowing down the court. Freshman forward Patricio Garino nabbed two steals in a row, running it back down the court for easy Colonial buckets. Kromah tirelessly drove into the paint, once tipping in a neat finger roll that frustrated the double team he left in his wake.

The team shot 65.5 percent on the half, including 44 percent from three that saw junior forward Nemanja Mikic sink two, and Garino and fellow freshman Kethan Savage add one apiece.  The production would continue into the second, the team ending with a 57.1 total field goal percentage on the game.

It was an all-around solid Colonial performance, their bench tacking 34 points onto the final score. And it was a game that showed GW’s ability to learn and grow as a unit.

“Kansas State came in, had 24 offensive rebounds. We went to Rutgers and outrebounded them,” Lonergan said. “This team really learned from each [nonconference] game.”

The beginning of the night saw an unusual starting lineup for the Colonials: four freshman, including forward Kevin Larsen, guard Joe McDonald, Garino and Savage, join senior forward Isaiah Armwood to begin play.

That starting five gelled well. Armwood posted a team-high 14 rebounds, five blocks and 11 points. Savage and Garino, meanwhile, each contributed 12 points. Kromah came off the bench to add 14.

Though he felt nervous before his first start, Savage said, the rest of the team focused on building him up before the initial whistle.

“It felt great to come out here and make that transition from high school to college. It was a long time coming,” Savage said. “I felt good coming out here and being able to play the way I did.”

Potent, too, was GW’s defense against the Bonnies. Adjustments kept St. Bonaventure guessing, and the Colonials’ approach fresh, throughout the night. The Bonnies shot an even 39 percent Wednesday night, and managed only six assists with their struggling offensive front.

St. Bonaventure’s frustrations were on clear display as the game progressed. Shot clock violations mounted, passes were too hard and volleyed out of bounds, and a particularly hard foul on Garino saddled the Bonnies with a technical.

“It was a physical team. We just had to come together, keep our composure, keep running our stuff,” Kromah said.

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