men’s basketball

9:24 p.m. GW wins 69-59. Check out Thursday’s Hatchet for more.

9:22 p.m. Twelve ticks to go and Bynes heads to the line for two as the fans start filing out.

9:21 p.m. Holland with a crazy layup in traffic; Ware fouled on the ensuing possession. The sophomore makes both for an eight-point lead with 35 seconds left.

9:20 p.m. Hollis makes both, giving GW a 65-57 advantage with 45 ticks to go. Also of note: BU has no timeouts left.

9:17 p.m. Holland has a trey rim in-and-out and Bynes gets fouled, hitting both, but Pellom is whistled for a foul on a three-point shot fake, sending Holland to the line for three. Holland hits two of three and Hollis is fouled after grabbing the rebound. He’ll shoot two with 46.3 to go and a 63-57 lead.

9:16 p.m. And we’re at everyone’s favorite point in a basketball game: intentional fouling. Hollis hits one of two and then Ware can’t handle the rebound, so the Terriers have the ball down six with a minute to go.

9:14 p.m. After Taylor hits both free throws, the Colonials take a 60-53 lead into the game’s final 70 seconds.

9:05 p.m. The fouling has begun, with Lowe nonchalantly grabbing a piece of Ware’s jersey with 2:06 on the clock and the Colonials leading 55-45. Ware will head to the line after a media timeout.

9:02 p.m. Taylor comes up big with a pair of buckets – the first on a mid-range jumper, the second on a layup in traffic – with a Bynes defensive rebound sandwiched in the middle to put GW ahead 55-43 with 3:21 on the clock.

9:00 p.m. Kromah with a very impressive up-and-under move through the lane pushes GW’s lead back to eight points. Kromah now has a game-high 17 points and GW leads with 4:30 left.

8:59 p.m. Strong misses both foul shots for BU.

8:55 p.m. Things are starting to come a bit unhinged for GW with 5:10 on the clock, as they’ve turned the ball over, picked up fouls, and missed shots, allowing BU to cut their lead to 49-43 as they head to the line for a pair of foul shots after Opoku picked up the team’s 10th foul of the half away from the ball while getting back on defense. The crowd is back into it, which can’t be good for this young Colonials team down the stretch.

8:47 p.m. With 7:54 left in the game, the Colonials are enjoying a 49-39 lead as Katuka gets ready to head to the line after an official timeout.

8:39 p.m. Kiss Cam! I don’t know what their deal is, but these two people refuse to kiss even after being put on the screen three times. Siblings? Friends with an awkward personal history? I guess we’ll never know.

8:37 p.m. With a hand in his face, Kromah hits a three – his fourth of the game – and GW leads 46-35 with 10:49 to go.

8:35 p.m. After extensive bouncing, Taylor’s foul shot falls, but Lowe answers with a lefty circus layup on the other end.

8:32 p.m. And we’re back! The Colonials now lead 42-33 with 11:50 to go, with Taylor heading to the line for a free throw following an official timeout after he was fouled while driving and scoring. Redshirt junior Travis King also hit a three-pointer a few minutes ago as the shot clock expired, much to the chagrin of the Terrier faithful. The Colonials are holding steady with their lead, staying aggressive and responding to BU baskets when they need to.

8:18 p.m. Ware hits a pair from the line to give GW a 33-25 lead after Bynes missed two on the last possesion. The Colonials are 9 of 11 from the line after shooting under 50 percent from the charity stripe in the opener on Sunday. We’ve got 15:43 left on the clock and I’m going to go see if I can figure out this whole photography thing.

8:15 p.m. All of a sudden everyone’s scoring, as the teams trade twos and threes (Kromah from three, Hollis from two for the Colonials) to make it a 31-25 GW lead with 17 minutes to play.

8:03 p.m. It hasn’t been particularly polished basketball thus far, with cumulative 30-percent shooting, 24 total turnovers and more collisions and loose-ball scrambles than I care to count, but all told the Colonials must be fairly happy with their 26-20 lead. After shooting just six three-pointers (two of which they made) against UNC-Wilmington Sunday, GW opened their scoring with a pair of treys and added a third from Kromah heading into the break.

They have played very aggressive, pesky defense, forcing a number of turnovers in the backcourt and stripping the ball inside on a couple of occasions. They already have six steals and four blocks, with Taylor having a team-high three takeaways. Kromah leads the team in scoring with seven points while Taylor and Ware are tied with four rebounds each. The Colonials have used their guards’ ability to grab long rebounds to push the ball in transition, which we should expect to see more of after halftime. The Terriers are unlikely to stay this cold from the floor, so the Colonials will likely need to continue to force turnovers and tempo if they want to maintain their advantage. I’ll be back with more after halftime.

7:55 p.m. The Colonials end the first half with four freshmen and Opoku on the floor and Bryan Bynes finds Kromah in the corner for a three-pointer as time expires to head into the break with a 26-20 GW lead.

7:52 p.m. Are these rims regulation size or what? Both teams are shooting under 35 percent from the field, a rate of success BU’s top three scorers exceed on average – from three-point distance. Opoku just hit a pair of free throws and GW leads 23-20 in the final minute of the first half.

7:47 p.m. Sorry for my absence; I was trying to take photos. Luckily not all that much happened, with the teams combining for just seven points in the past five minutes. The most noteworthy thing to occur was probably when BU completely lost control of the ball, only to have it hit one of the officials in the stomach and stay in play. The Terriers maintained possession and ended up drawing a foul to be sent to the line on the possession. The Colonials lead 21-20 with 2:10 remaining before halftime.

7:34 p.m. Carlos Strong connects from three for BU – who had been ice cold from beyond the arc – and then freshman Dwayne Smith drives and scores on a left-handed layup for the Colonials. 18-16 GW with 7:18 left in the half.

7:28 p.m. Kromah turns it over trying to force a pass inside to senior Hermann Opoku, then pokes it free from a BU player and causes a scrum for the ball that ends up in GW’s favor. A very nice recovery from the freshman on the play, who has been very aggressive on defense tonight along with the rest of the Colonials. They lead 16-11 midway through the first half.

7:24 p.m. After the teams trade turnovers and high-speed collisions, Holland throws down a big breakaway dunk that gets the BU crowd energized. It’s 12-9 Colonials just inside the first half’s 12-minute mark.

7:21 p.m. Edwards forces a five-second violation while defending Lowe as he tries to inbound the ball but cannot find anybody. On the other end, freshman David Pellom goes under the basket and comes out on the other side for a right-handed layup to put GW ahead 12-7. On the other end, Pellom takes a hard fall into the first row of seats going for a loose ball that is called out of bounds off the Terriers. There is 12:40 left in the first half.

7:17 p.m. Ware, who had a team-high 16 points at UNC-Wilmington, hits both shots. 8-5 GW with 15:15 left in the half.

7:15 p.m. We’ve got our first media timeout after Hollis and redshirt sophomore Jabari Edwards stop Pelage under the basket and GW pushes the ball in transition, resulting in sophomore Aaron Ware being fouled under the basket on a shot attempt. He’ll be going to the line after the break.

7:12 p.m. Katuka had a nice block inside on Jeff Pelage but BU’s O’Brien hit a three on the same possession, though Johnson answered on the other end. It’s 6-5 GW roughly four minutes into the game.

7:10 p.m. The Colonials have now thrown the ball away on two straight possessions, first when Johnson couldn’t find Katuka underneath and then just now when Hollis overthrew a lob to Kromah. GW is in a full-court press on defense and has been very aggressive in the half-court set as well. The Colonials still lead 3-2 with 17:38 on the clock.

7:08 p.m. Johnson blocks Lowe in the corner on a three, but BU recovers and scores. On the other end, Hollis finds Kromah who connects from three on GW’s first possession.

7:04 p.m. The lights are out for the BU intros as they play a team video set to a remix of “Lux Aeterna” from Requiem for a Dream fame. The lights came back on for the player introductions, however.

7:02 p.m. Your starting Colonials: sophomore Tony Taylor and freshmen Lasan Kromah and Tim Johnson at guard; senior Damian Hollis at forward; and junior Joseph Katuka at center. Same as the opener.

6:44 p.m. Layup lines to Wu Tang’s “Gravel Pit.” I like it. Also, senior Damian Hollis has been particularly vocal during warmups, smiling and welcoming the boos from the crowd as the Colonials took the court. He seems pretty loose and ready to go.

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Good evening and welcome to the very nice Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University for tonight’s live blog of the men’s basketball game between the visiting Colonials and host Terriers. GW began their season with wins in this arena in 2006 and 2008 and opened up this year with a comeback win at UNC-Wilmington Sunday. The Colonials have beaten the Terriers in all six meetings since head coach Karl Hobbs took over in 2001, including wins in each of the last four seasons. GW leads the all-time series, which dates back to the 1958-59 season, 16-1. The lone loss came in the 1978-79 season.

BU, which was unanimously tabbed as the preseason conference favorite and lost its opening game at Iona Friday, features four returning starters from last season. Senior guard Corey Lowe, a product of nearby Newton North High School, and junior swingman John Holland were both unanimously voted to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team this year and sophomore forward Jake O’Brien was named the conference’s top rookie last year. All three of them average more than 36-percent shooting from beyond the arc, meaning GW will need to defend the perimeter if they’re going to have success tonight.

There was a relatively busy table set up at one of the entrances selling GW T-shirts, so there should be some support for the Colonials in Agganis tonight. Both teams are currently in the locker room, but I’ll be back with updates when starting lineups are announced and throughout the game. Also, just a note, if you don’t hear from me for a little while at some point, I may be taking photos. That’s right, it’s another double-duty night for me.

6:51 p.m. Ware makes the second of two, UNCW’s Johnny Wolf misses a three, and Pellom is fouled with 2.1 seconds to go. Pellom misses both, but the clock runs out on the Seahawks’ last-minute hopes and GW wins nonetheless by a score of 76-71. Check out tomorrow’s issue of The Hatchet and www.gwhatchet.com for full coverage.

6:49 p.m. Interesting. Taylor misses both shots and Grant hits a three, cutting GW’s lead to 75-71 with 10 seconds left. Ware is going to the line for two. (Before Grant’s shot, Edwards had a strong block of a three-point attempt from Rendleman.)

6:47 p.m. Kromah makes just one of four foul shots over two possessions and the Colonials lead 75-68 after the Seahawks answer with a three. There are 21 seconds left.

6:45 p.m. Hollis fouls out while battling Downey for a rebound. Downey hits both and GW leads 74-65 with 50.1 seconds remaining. Hobbs calls a timeout before the ball is inbounded to talk things over.

6:43 p.m. Taylor connects with Edwards for a nifty alley-oop and the Colonials lead by nine with 1:07 left.

6:39 p.m. Edwards grabs a loose ball in the paint, finds Johnson at the perimeter, and the first-year guard beats Tomko down the court to score a layup. Taylor adds a short jumper on the next possession and GW leads 72-63 with 1:49 to play. UNCW calls a timeout and the Colonials look pretty happy heading into their huddle.

6:37 p.m. Tomko can’t catch up to a pass in the backcourt, which Johnson corrals and puts in for a three in transition to put the Colonials ahead 68-63 just inside of the three-minute mark.

6:35 p.m. Ware with a reverse layup, Hollis with a jumper near the top of the key, and GW leads 66-63 with 3:19 on the clock. This has become one heck of a game and Hollis, relegated to the bench for most of the game due to foul trouble, has really made his minutes count thus far down the stretch.

6:32 p.m. UNCW’s Ahmad Grant answers with a three of his own to regain the lead, but Hollis is fouled and hits one of two shots to tie it with 4:35 left.

6:30 p.m. Johnson drains a three, the Seahawks travel, and Hollis adds a trey of his own to give GW a 61-59 lead with 5:20 to play.

6:29 p.m. Hollis misses a pair of free throws but grabs a loose ball after Ware loses possession following the rebound. Hollis calls timeout while on the floor and the Colonials retain possession with 6:23 to play.

6:27 p.m. Pellom pins a Rendleman shot against the glass in transition, but is called for a foul during the put-back. Rendleman misses the first but hits the second. Hollis then replaced Pellom in the lineup and Opoku comes in for Edwards. UNCW leads 59-55 with 6:30 to go.

6:25 p.m. A very impressive defensive stand from Edwards just now, who altered a shot with his hands in the air and then swatted a ball out of the key and toward the perimeter. UNCW still leads 58-55 with 7:06 left.

6:18 p.m. While Rendleman sets up for a pair of free throws, Bynes is sternly warned by an official not to speak and seemed pretty surprised by the reprimand. Rendleman hits the first and misses the second, then Bynes is called for an offensive push while setting up the offense. No more than 10 seconds later, King is whistled for a non-shooting foul in the backcourt while defending the dribbler with his hands in the air.

6:16 p.m. With 9:02 to play and GW down by one basket, a four-foul Hollis returns to the court.

6:12 p.m. Pellom tips in a missed free throw from Ware (who had hit the first) and suddenly the Colonials trail by just two inside of the 11-minute mark.

6:08 p.m. Bynes hits it and the Seahawks call a timeout while trying to inbound the ball.

6:05 p.m. On the other end, Bynes drains a floater over a defender and is fouled in the process. He’ll shoot a free throw after a break at the 11:23 mark.

6:04 p.m. Freshman Bryan Bynes is whistled for two fouls on one possession, the second of which sends Downey to the line, where he misses the front end of a one-and-one. UNCW leads 51-43 with 12:22 to play.

5:59 p.m. Kromah and Pellom run a two-on-one break off an Edwards block of Tomko. Pellom’s dunk attempts misses, but he is fouled and hits both shots. The hometown boy now has eight points.

5:55 p.m. A whistle is blown during a loose-ball scramble and the foul is on… Hobbs. Tomko hits one of two free throws, then gets a traditional three-point play when he is fouled by King on a breakaway layup.

5:51 p.m. Hollis re-enters the game and about 30 seconds later, as he and Ware trap a Seahawk ballhandler, he is whistled for his fourth personal foul and removed from the game. He’s now got four fouls in four minutes and UNCW leads 45-38 with 15:56 left in the game.

5:46 p.m. Kromah sneaks around his man to steal the ball in the backcourt and then dishes to Taylor, who is fouled while shooting. Taylor banked in the first free throw and had the second rattle out one minute into the second half of play.

5:32 p.m. The Seahawks add a buzzer-beating put-back to head into the break up 41-32, answering GW’s small scoring surge with enough points for a relatively cushy lead at the break. Taylor and Kromah lead the Colonials with seven points apiece with seven GW players tied for the rebounding lead with two. Taylor is the only Colonial with more than one steal and assist, having two of each.

All told, it was not as bad of a half as it might have been considering Hollis and Opoku were reduced to complete non-factors by getting in early foul trouble. Some of the freshmen – Kromah in particular – stepped up to key a small comeback that kept the Colonials within range and Edwards held his own in the post for the most part. If GW’s big men can stay on the court and the Colonials can stop leaving Seahawks open on the perimeter for three-pointers, they have a chance to get right back in it and make a push in the second half.

5:23 p.m. Wholesale changes for GW, as Taylor, Bynes, Kromah, Pellom, and Katuka enter the game together. Interesting.

5:19 p.m. We’ve got a game. The pace and intensity seems to have picked up on the GW side and the Colonials now trail 30-25 with 3:03 to play in the half. Freshman Dwayne Smith had a very nice lay-in off the glass after driving from the three-point line on the last possession.

5:15 p.m. Kromah scores twice more, first cleaning up a miss by Katuka and then on a layup off a high post screen, and GW is now only trailing 27-21. There are five minutes left before the break.

5:12 p.m. Kromah is fouled while shooting from mid-range, but makes the shot nonetheless for the first field goal in what felt like weeks. He hits the free throw as well to make it 24-17 UNCW with 6:30 to play in the half.

5:08 p.m. Hey, look! Another foul, Taylor’s second and GW’s tenth. There was an odd non-reaction to this by everyone in attendance and those on the floor, as it seemed like everybody just kind of looked around in confusion as to which team it was on and why. Then some students came out to ride bikes and shoot layups during a timeout.

5:07 p.m. The foul tally, once 6-2 in UNCW’s favor, is now even at nine apiece after GW draws consecutive charges (King and then Pellom) and Kromah is fouled while driving. The fans are not happy with the calls and are likening them to bovine waste. The Seahawks lead 23-14 with 7:48 left until halftime.

4:59 p.m. Official timeout after another foul – the first, surprisingly, in almost two minutes – that will send Ware to the line when the break is done. The Colonials trail 23-12 now, with their last two baskets coming when Taylor bounced a pass to Johnson for a backdoor layup and Taylor got a steal near midcourt and broke away for an uncontested layup. There’s 10:18 remaining in the first half.

4:56 p.m. Downey drives, scores, and is fouled, missing the free throw; on the other end, GW is called for a travel. There have been 14 fouls and I don’t know how many other whistles in the game’s first eight minutes.

4:53 p.m. It gets worse. Hollis re-entered the game, drove to the basket, collided with a defender, and was called for his third personal foul of the game. He went back to the bench with 13:12 left in the first.

4:51 p.m. Not a good trio of possessions for GW there. Tomko, dribbling idly as the shot clock was about to expire, chucked up a long three and hit it, then Edwards was whistled for a three-second violation on the other end. Downey hit a third three on the ensuing possession and the Sehawks lead 17-6 with 13:45 to play in the half.

4:46 p.m. Senior Hermann Opoku picks up his second personal foul – GW’s sixth – at the 16:17 mark and is replaced by redshirt sophomore Jabari Edwards. Hollis and Opoku are now both out of the game with two fouls apiece. Twenty-one seconds later Montez Downey drains his second straight three to put the Seahawks ahead 11-4. GW head coach Karl Hobbs took a timeout in response.

4:40 p.m. Freshman David Pellom, a Wilmington native, subs into the game and the crowd gives a pretty big cheer, some of them standing. I thought it was because of him at first but Tomko just came into the game for the Seahawks at the same time, so that probably explains it. UNCW leads 5-4 with 16:48 to play in the half.

4:38 p.m. Timeout GW after the Seahawks take a 5-2 lead on a put-back dunk from freshman Keith Rendleman. Hollis is on the bench now, having been replaced by sophomore Aaron Ware.

4:36 p.m. Hollis, who scored on GW’s opening possession, picks up his second foul of the game at the 18:18 mark in the first half. The game has already featured five personal fouls and a traveling call. UNCW leads 3-2.

4:32 p.m. The Seahawks lineup is indeed Tomko-less, so it would appear they will be without the services of arguably their two best players this afternoon.

4:30 p.m. Starters: sophomore Tony Taylor, freshman Lasan Kromah, senior Damian Hollis, freshman Tim Johnson, and junior Joseph Katuka.

4:26 p.m. Still a few minutes from the tip, but injured freshman center Daymon Warren is in uniform and participating fully in layup lines. Last I heard he was still expected to miss some time after injuring his finger about six weeks ago – at last week’s media day, Hobbs said he still wasn’t involved in drills – but he’s at least healthy enough to shoot around with everyone.

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So here we are. It’s a beautifully warm afternoon here in Wilmington, N.C., which is irrelevant to those not here and the basketball about to be played. The Colonials and host Seahawks are both sooting around with just under 14 minutes until opening tip.

This will be the Seahawks’ first home game after dropping their season-opener 79-68 at Appalachian State Friday. Preseason all-conference second team pick Chad Tomko missed the game due to injury and 6-foot-9 center John Fields, who led the team with 21 points and seven rebounds in the game, earned a flagrant foul call and was automatically suspended for today’s contest per Colonial Athletic Association rules. If Tomko is still too injured to play, it would certainly appear to be a favorable matchup for GW.

This game is being played under slightly different circumstances than the last time these two teams met, when a nationally-ranked GW team made a huge second-half comeback to knock off the Seahawks in the first round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. Now UNC-Wilmington is coming off of a seven-win season and was picked last in its conference while GW has won 19 games over the past two years.

I’ll have your starting lineups as soon as they’re announced and be back with updates throughout the game – and maybe warmups and halftime too.

3:45 p.m. Sorry I didn’t put up the final score: GW wins 78-44. Check www.gwhatchet.com for a full update later and Monday’s issue for even more.

2:57 p.m. Edwards is whistled for a technical foul after throwing down a hard alley-oop from King in transition. They had gone for the same connection on the preceding possession but Edwards had fumbled the ball during the catch. On the defensive possession in between, he blocked a shot. GW leads 76-42 and Edwards suddenly has eight points.

2:54 p.m. And the foul shot rattles in and out. GW is now 10 of 21 from the line.

2:52 p.m. Edwards has caught a little hot streak inside, scoring from close range now on consecutive possessions, first on a pass from Bynes caught with his back to the basket and then after collecting a loose ball in the paint. He was fouled on the second one and will head to the line after a break in the action with his team leading 73-36 and 3:15 on the clock.

2:47 p.m. Hobbs signals for a timeout with 5:48 to play after Johnson goes baseline to score and put GW ahead 67-33. Kromah hit a three a few possessions back and the Colonials’ defensive pressure is creating a fair amount of turnovers and miscues from West Georgia in the last few minutes.

2:39 p.m. The Colonials lead 61-32 with less than nine to play, their last basket coming after redshirt sophomore Jabari Edwards grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for two. Ware had a nice drive a few minutes ago, pushing it toward the basket from the left of the key and kissing a left-handed runner off the glass while being fouled. He missed the free throw.

2:33 p.m. Katuka gets his own rebound and scores and then Bynes gets a steal, pushes it solo against two defenders, and pulls up at the free-throw line to drain a jumper. The Colonials lead 57-30 now, with Kromah leading all scorers with 11 points. The Wolves have made just eight of 38 shots from the field and have been outscored 23-7 since the break.

2:28 p.m. More impressive plays by the freshmen: Bynes just completely blew past a defender and through the defense to score on a contested layup and Kromah got a steal in the backcourt and took it to the hoop for a breakaway dunk. GW leads 50-28 with a dozen minutes left.

2:23 p.m. Pellom just absolutely stuffed a layup attempt and then stole the ball in transition on consecutive possessions. King found him in the paint on the second offensive possession, but Pellom seemed caught off guard and rushed an awkward attempt from close range that missed.

2:19 p.m. We’ve got an official timeout (and Pita Pit dance contest!) with GW leading 41-25 with 15:49 to play. Pellom just stole the ball near midcourt with one of the loudest-sounding slaps of the day and then pushed the ball to the other end, only to lose his handle as he went up for the layup and have the ball float out of bounds.

Also, to nobody’s surprise, a little kid won the dance contest.

2:13 p.m. Katuka gets fed the ball inside for his third basket of the game and GW leads 38-25 just inside of the 18-minute mark. Johnson had a particularly spirited last few possessions, flying in for an offensive rebound and then getting fouled on a shooting attempt and hitting both shots. On the other end, he swatted a West Georgia layup attempt off the backboard after it had hit the glass and was called for goaltending.

2:01 p.m. After one half of play, GW leads West Georgia 34-23, with Hollis leading the charge with nine points and seven rebounds. Kromah is second among all scorers with seven points and Bynes, who has been running the point at times even with King on the floor, has four rebounds. Three Colonials – Bynes, Hollis and Johnson – have two assists apiece.

Hobbs has talked at multiple points in recent months about the excitement surrounding this year’s team and the type of up-tempo, energetic style of play he wants to utilize, much like that employed by his most successful GW teams. While West Georgia likely does not offer the same level of opposition that the Colonials will encounter during the regular season, GW looks good for its part and is definitely exhibiting the kind of style and energy that Hobbs has said he is seeking.

The freshmen, aside from the injured Warren, have all gotten fairly extended looks on the floor. Kromah has shown no hesitation to shoot the ball and has also created numerous opportunities for himself to score. Bynes has gotten off to a fairly good start running the point, turning and pushing the ball in transition when he’s gotten the chance. He also only has one turnover; King leads the team with three thus far.

1:52 p.m. The teams are heading into the locker room at the half with the Colonials leading 34-23.

1:46 p.m. Our little press table just got a visit from Big George, which is as unnerving as it sounds.

1:43 p.m. A little over three minutes left in the half and GW leads 29-16. Kromah had a nice take to the basket a few possessions back, but his layup rolled off the rim. He slapped his hands together and smiled as he made his way back down the court to play defense. He really doesn’t seem deterred by any of his misses thus far.

1:37 p.m. A bit of a scoring burst from West Georgia has the score at 23-16 now, with the lone GW point since the last update coming on a free throw by Smith. On the last possession, Taylor called for the Colonials’ patented wheel play and Opoku got the ball on the perimeter, bouncing a pass inside to where it looked like he expected Bynes to cut, only no one was there and the Wolves nabbed it for a turnover.

1:31 p.m. It’s 22-9 now at a pay stoppage at the 7:59 mark in the first half. The Colonials have hit seven of their last nine shots, with Kromah leading all scorers with seven points. No Colonial has grabbed more rebounds than Hollis and Ware’s two, with the Wolves actually winning the battle on the boards at this point, 12 to seven.

The team is playing at a very fast but relatively controlled pace thus far. Hobbs has said he wants to bring back the up-tempo, athletic style of years past and that would certainly seem to be the way to describe the team’s play thus far in this exhibition contest.

1:26 p.m. Kromah allows a three on the defensive end, then immediately takes it to the hoop on not one but two consecutive possessions to make it 16-9 with 10:11 to play in the half.

1:24 p.m. Pellom’s free throw misses.

1:22 p.m. Bynes and David Pellom just announced their presence to the GW basketball world. Bynes hit a three from the wing, followed by Pellom pressuring the inbound passer, slapping the ball with his left hand, then grabbing it and taking it to the hoop for a contested layup to 12-6. Pellom was fouled on the play and will take his shot after this official timeout is done.

1:19 p.m. After missing his first shot attempt, a three from the corner, freshman Lasan Kromah takes a second attempt a few possessions later with no hesitation and drains it to put GW up 7-6. His next attempt misses again. “The shooter” is at work.

Also, this is completely irrelevant to anyone that may be reading this, but I must say I’m enjoying the new press table vantage point in the overhang seating. You can really see the floor better and pick up on how each team is running their sets.

1:13 p.m. King takes it to the hoop from the perimeter and finally nets GW’s second basket of the game. On the preceding possession the Colonials missed consecutive put-back opportunities with the crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing as each one rolled around the rim and out.

Aesthetic notes: Taylor is wearing a white headband, which I don’t remember from last year. Opoku and freshman Bryan Bynes are wearing them as well. Opoku, formerly no. 21, is also wearing jersey no. 44.

1:11 p.m. The Colonials trail the Wolves 4-2 thus far, shooting just 1-of-6 from the floor this far. Their lone basket came when Johnson fed it inside to Katuka.

1:03 p.m. Starters, in 0rder of introduction: senior Damian Hollis, junior Joseph Katuka, freshman Tim Johnson, freshman Dwayne Smith, sophomore Tony Taylor. Also, the players had their arms wrapped around one another during the national anthem. Everyone talks about this team’s chemistry, so there would seem to be a small example of sorts.

12:59 p.m. Head coach Karl Hobbs and his staff just took the floor for the first time to the usual remix of P.O.D.’s “Boom,” yet the traditional bowing toward Hobbs was no where to be seen. The staff, aside from Hobbs, is wearing matching khaki-colored long-sleeve collared shirts and black pants.

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Good afternoon and welcome to the first live blog of the fall, as the GW men’s basketball team hosts West Georgia in a preseason exhibition contest. Today’s contest offers the first in-game glimpse at this year’s Colonials, a chance made all the more interesting by the fact that six of this year’s players are freshmen. One would expect that all five healthy newcomers – center Daymon Warren is still sidelined with a finger injury – should see the floor today.

Also of interest will be the new roles some of the returning players will be asked to fulfill. Junior Joseph Katuka, a 6-foot-11 center from Nigeria, will likely be asked to fill the void left in the post by the graduation of Rob Diggs, while senior standout Damian Hollis will be leaned on more than ever. Sophomore Aaron Ware, an athletic 6-foot-5 slasher, is someone to keep an eye on as well in his second season. Sophomore Tony Taylor and redshirt junior Travis King will likely man the backcourt once again, though they may share duties with freshman Bryan Bynes at times.

Fans are still filtering in as we approach two minutes until tipoff. We’ll have starting lineups and in-game updates for you along the way.