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Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 5:18 p.m.

Colonials take No. 14 Butler down to the wire

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior forward Isaiah Armwood leaps over Butler to dunk it Saturday afternoon. Ashley Lucas | Assistant Photo Editor

The record books will simply reduce Saturday afternoon into a tally in the loss column for the Colonials.

In black and white, GW’s game will not be recorded as a victory. But that mark won’t show that the team fought back from a double-digit deficit. It won’t show that a Colonial squad paced by four freshmen took No. 14 Butler to the wire in front of a screaming sold-out Smith Center.

It won’t show the final scramble for a shot in a three-point game. Instead, it will show that GW dropped 59-56 to the Bulldogs, and that makes the nature of the loss cold comfort in its wake.

“I think we still wanted to get the W. It still was a blow to us. But it shows that if we play hard from the get-go, rather than when we get down 17, we can win. We can compete,” freshman guard Joe McDonald said.

At one point during Saturday’s game, it looked as if all hope was lost for the Colonials (11-11, 5-4 A-10). The wheels were about to come off the team, Butler up by 17 points off the strength of explosive senior guard Rotnei Clarke.

GW wasn’t about to buckle under pressure, though. Playing an aggressive man-to-man defense all afternoon, the team began to press heavily, bearing down on the Bulldogs in transition.

Butler began to crack, tiny fissions that first appeared as a bobbled pass here, a step out of bounds there. Slowly, the Colonials chipped away at the Bulldog lead. The fury and tempo of the game built, as player after player hit the deck for jump balls, until – with just 52 seconds left – GW was only down by three.

“These guys have a lot of character and heart. I wish we wouldn’t get down so much, it’s happening a lot, but we’re playing really good teams. We haven’t packed it in yet this year,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “We just couldn’t get that open three.”

Though the final possession would end without the Colonials wholly making up their deficit, the push back against Butler’s lead was a dramatic improvement from the way GW opened play.

Neither team shot particularly well before the break. The Bulldogs only had 37.1 percent shooting in the first half, and the Colonials just 24.2 percent. But Butler scored three treys, compared to GW’s zero.

The Bulldogs were more clearly in the game on the boards, gathering a 30-19 first-half rebound advantage that gave them the edge over the first twenty minutes of play. Entering halftime in that hole gave the Colonials impetus to fight.

“When you’re down, it’s easy to attack,” senior forward Isaiah Armwood said. “They were just getting putbacks, putbacks, that was half of their offense. So we had to do a better job on that.”

Faced with a deep Butler offensive attack that rotated through various shooters, the Colonials were determined to answer defensively. Prior to Saturday’s game, both Lonergan and senior guard Lasan Kromah said the team’s strong points were its rebounding and defense, and GW came into the second half determined to showcase its strengths.

Switching into the press, the Colonials closed the rebounding gap, finishing only five behind Butler’s 46. Further disrupting a Bulldog offense that relied on calm, accurate passing was the 19 turnovers GW forced.

“It got us back in the game,” Lonergan said. “I give credit to the crowd, they were unbelievable. That energy, and I was hoping we could get a couple of five second calls. It really kept us going, we just couldn’t get that big basket.”

It was, in the end, shooting that would prove the Colonials’ downfall. Faced with a  Butler defense that focused on spreading GW out and getting players off their marks, the team turned in one of its worst shooting performances of the season.

Head coach Mike Lonergan reacts to action during the second half. Jordan Leon | Hatchet Photographer

Shot after shot didn’t fall, and the Colonials ended shooting just 27.9 percent on the game. Further frustrating matters was GW’s 1-for-12 line from three-point range. Though Armwood recorded his second straight double-double, with 14 points and 11 boards, and McDonald and Kromah added 10 points apiece, the shooting just wasn’t there.

“We work on it all the time, you can address it through recruiting,” Lonergan said. “I think [freshman forward] Patricio [Garino] can become a better shooter, and [junior forward] Nemanja’s [Mikic] been hot and cold, like most of our guys. At home, we’ve got to make some shots. They’re keying on Isaiah inside, which they should, so somebody else has to step it up and hit one of those shots.”

Still, shooting struggles aside, the 17-point deficit aside, the loss aside, GW’s head coach knows that today is more than a tally in the defeat column.

“I’m proud of our guys, I have no problem saying that. That’s a heck of a team, a heck of a coach, and it’s a hell of a league,” Lonergan said.

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Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 1:34 p.m.

Nemanja Mikic named to academic team

by Elizabeth Traynor

Then- sophomore Nemanja Mikic maneuvers his way around three Charlotte defenders last season. Hatchet File Photo

Men’s basketball junior forward Nemanja Mikic is a member of the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 2 First Team. He will move onto the  Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, which will select first, second and third-team members later this month.

Mikic is one of just 40 Division I student-athletes across eight regions voted onto a first team. And he’s one of just three Atlantic 10 players to make a first team, joined by Temple’s T.J. DiLeo and Butler’s Andrew Smith.

He currently ranks 15th in the A-10 in three-point percentage, .380, over 19 games this season. Mikic is 7-of-13 in three-point shooting through the Colonials’ league action. Last season, he was named to the Atlantic 10 all-academic team and the NABC honors court.

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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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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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Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 9:39 p.m.

Colonials pick up second road win at James Madison

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman forward Kevin Larsen leaps up for a basked in the second half. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

HARRISONBURG, Va.- It was, at the same time, the most dramatic and the most anti-climatic finish of GW’s young season.

There were 7.2 seconds to play. GW (3-3) was only up by a basket. And it was James Madison’s ball. Out of a break, freshman forward Patricio Garino stole the ball, ran it back, was fouled, and sunk both of his shots to put the Colonials up by four. And as JMU tried to return it down the court, senior forward Isaiah Armwood picked off a pass and the two teams thought the game was done.

But the referees headed to the sideline, calling a jump ball that gave JMU possession with 1.2 seconds to go. As the clock ticked out, the Dukes sunk a buzzer-beater three that was just a point shy of tying it. And GW walked away with a 54-53 victory.

“I got lucky, I think, a little bit. They threw a floater, and it wasn’t a really good pass, and I got the steal,” Garino said.

The Dukes opened with a full-court press, a defensive maneuver that usually spells trouble for the Colonials. Wednesday night was no exception, GW turning it over on their first four possessions and allowing James Madison to go on an early 4-0 run.

It was a start that would shake GW’s confidence for the rest of the low-scoring half, the Colonials shooting just 36 percent and turning it over 11 times before the break. And again, like in Monday’s Mount Saint Mary game, the team struggled to establish an effective transition game in the face of the press, something the Dukes exploited to the tune of an 11-3 advantage on fast break points.

“We just wanted to take care of the ball better. We knew that we were struggling to score,” freshman guard Joe McDonald said, who added that the team focused on beating a press over their off day. “Breaking the press, and looking forward to the next person open definitely was going to help us out.”

But GW managed to dig itself out of what was once an eight-point hole. The team doubled down its focus on the defensive once it became obvious that shots weren’t falling. A switch into the 1-3-1 zone halted JMU’s momentum, keeping them at 37 percent shooting on the half.

The Colonials were having trouble with transition, and Lonergan said the 1-3-1 was designed to aid the team get back into the paint. It was a dangerous defense, he added, but one that paid dividends.

“It takes some of the penetration away,” Lonergan said. “We were able to not let them take advantage of having our point guard on their big guys. Joe is a pretty tough kid.”

On the final possession of the half, James Madision took it down the court, missing an initial shot attempt, grabbing the rebound, and putting it back for a tying jumper at the buzzer. It was the signal of what the rest of the game would become: a back-and-forth battle of two teams struggling to find their shot.

On some possessions, the Colonials would sink a long jumper to go up. The next, the Dukes would find their way around a defender for the score. GW couldn’t continuously sink open looks, shooting 38.2 percent on the game. The shooting struggles, not an unfamiliar sight for the team, made it even more vital to take the ball inside, Lonergan said, where the Colonials could best capitalize on second chances.

“I say we just throw the ball inside every time,” Lonergan said. “That’s going to free up, in time, an open shot.”

But the Colonials were able to maintain pace with JMU, which shot 40.4 percent, off its size advantage. While there were possessions that saw GW get beat along the baseline, the team posted a convincing 40-28 victory on the boards. It was a shot of energy that made up for the team’s lackluster bench performance – just five points – and helped to reduce the impact of poor shooting from the key and the line.

“We struggled to score and to give them some credit, they came after us defensively pretty hard. If you’re going to have a low-scoring game, you definitely have to win the battle on the backboards,” Lonergan said.

Three of GW’s players finished in double-digits. Freshman forward Kevin Larsen added 12 points and nine boards, senior guard Lasan Kromah posted 10 points and four rebounds, as well as five assists, and McDonald added 12 points, two rebounds and three steals.

Amwood pulled down eight rebounds on the night, and junior forward Nemanja Mikic, who only had a single trey on the night, worked to make up for it at the boards, gathering six. And Garino, who set up the night’s final play, added nine points, five assists and four steals.

After exiting the first without a single basket, Garino epitomized the fighting spirit found in many of the Colonials in their second road win.

“I never gave up,” Garino said. “I wasn’t here the first half, but I kept playing. Even when it wasn’t going in, I had my confidence up, and I [still] shot it.”

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Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 10:27 p.m.

Colonials falter under Mount Saint Mary’s pressure

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior guard Lasan Kromah leaps to the net while freshman forward Kevin Larsen tries to right himself in the face of a Mount defender. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

The stat sheet told the story of the game, head coach Mike Lonergan said in his press conference. The rows of numbers, black and white on the page, were the ultimate summary of a 65-56 loss to Mount Saint Mary’s that left fans shaking their heads and the Colonials (2-3) frustrated.

The game’s numbers didn’t lie, Lonergan pointed out. And they came from GW’s inability to shake off the intense pressure it found itself under.

“Their pressure won the game for them. That’s the long story short. Their pressure won the game for them,” senior forward Isaiah Armwood said. “They made us turn the ball over, so they were successful at what they did.”

The difference-maker was the Mount’s defense, a facsimile of the “havoc” approached used by VCU, born of head coach Jamion Christian’s time under Shaka Smart as a Rams assistant.

GW faltered under the pressure, failing to establish a solid transition game. It was a letdown that spread into all areas of the Colonials’ shooting, shaking the team’s confidence. And it was a pressure that stripped GW of the ball 25 times, an amount of turnovers that sapped the Colonials of any chance they had at establishing momentum or rhythm.

“There were so many things that broke our back,” Lonergan said. “And a turnover here and there, and then we got tired and they started taking us to the rim. And we don’t really have a shot blocker back there, except for maybe Isaiah.”

While the Mountaineers’ defense rattled GW, it served only to exacerbate the team’s already-present ball-handling challenges. Many of the night’s turnovers were avoidable, born of a Colonial player trying to be too flashy, to do too much.

“Some of it was created by their defense, but sometimes I felt like we were just handing them the ball,” Lonergan said. “I really don’t understand that.”

Without an effective transition game, and with its confidence taking blow after blow, GW couldn’t put together a cohesive attack.

The Colonials outsized Mount Saint Mary’s by a significant amount, and when the team was able to get it into the paint, the advantage showed. GW won the rebounding battle 32-24, and bested the Mount 42-20 on points in the paint. The team’s post play included more signs of improvement from freshman forward Kevin Larsen, who had 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists over 26 minutes of play.

“Hopefully Kevin will keep getting better,” Lonergan said. “He was 5-for-5 tonight and almost had a double-double.”

But though GW outmuscled its opponent in the paint, and had a 51.1 shooting percentage as compared to Mount Saint Mary’s 49.0 percent, the Mountaineers staked their victory on their ability to convert long shots.

The Mount nailed eight treys to GW’s three, putting a comfortable distance between the two teams at crucial points that could have turned the tide in the Colonials’ favor. And when GW got opportunities to overcome the deficit at the line, it failed to sink the free throws, ending just 8-of-17 from the charity stripe.

“The free throw shooting was a joke. In the second half, we’re 4-for-10, and at least one, we missed 1-and-1’s,” Lonergan said.

“They foul a lot,” he added. “But you’ve got to go to the line and make them pay, and we didn’t do that.”

Senior guard Lasan Kromah paced GW in points, adding 18, while Armwood put up a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists. But overall, it was a disappointing night for GW’s offense, though, Lonergan cautioned, the fault didn’t lie with freshman point guard Joe McDonald.

“I think we have a very good point guard. He didn’t have his best game tonight, that’s for sure, but he’s in a situation where he’s doubleteamed, and the guy’s man leaves, his teammate isn’t in the right spot, or coming back to the pass, it can really make you look bad as a point guard,” Lonergan said. “I feel bad for Joe. I don’t think guys went in the right spot for him tonight.”

Head coach Mike Lonergan reacts from GW’s bench Monday night. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

Instead, Lonergan said, he’s left needing more from upperclassmen and GW’s bench. The veteran members of the Colonials, for the most part, were absent Monday night. Senior guard Bryan Bynes had six turnovers and zero assists, senior forward Dwayne Smith went 0-for-1 in four minutes of play, and junior forward Nemanja Mikic, too, was held scoreless.

It’s time to shake up his approach, Lonergan acknowledged, in hopes of lighting a fire under some of his veteran players.

“We’ve got to get Bryan and Nemanja in, and Dwayne, we’ve got to get them playing,” Lonergan said. “Maybe I’ve got to start them, that worked with Lasan, offensively at least. He’s played really well lately, I put him back in the starting lineup. Maybe I’ve got to give Dwayne a chance, because we didn’t get a lot out of him tonight.”

Perhaps the most important returning player, though, the one responsible for a large chunk of GW’s scoring, rebounding and energy last season, is senior forward David Pellom. And after being sidelined over the summer with wrist surgery, Pellom underwent a second surgery Monday afternoon that will put him out for an additional 4-6 weeks.

Lonergan, who didn’t say if the possibility of a medical redshirt for the rest of the year had been discussed, shook off the impact of Pellom’s absence. One player shouldn’t make or break the team, he said.

“It is what it is. He’s our best returning player,” Lonergan said. “Hopefully he’ll be back for the A-10 games. But we’ve got to go on like he’s not here.”

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Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 4:56 p.m.

Men’s basketball team picks up first win of the season at BU

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior guard Bryan Bynes holds onto the ball before passing to junior forward Nemanja Mikic in the first half. Elizabeth Traynor | Hatchet Staff Photographer

BOSTON- At the postgame press conference after GW’s 72-59 victory over Boston University, head coach Mike Lonergan sat flanked by senior forward Isaiah Armwood and freshman guard Joe McDonald.

To his left was the rookie point guard who will be trusted with the Colonials’ offense in years to come, a player who gave fans a glimpse of the role he will grow into Saturday. To Lonergan’s right, his senior big man who slammed back eight blocks against the Terriers, irreparably disrupting the flow of their offense.

The postgame remarks, much like the 40 minutes of basketball that preceded them, were a glimpse into the rebuilding Colonial roster.

“I thought this was a really, really important game,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “There’s no such thing as a ‘must-win’ game – [Washington Redskins head coach] Mike Shanahan got in trouble for saying that a couple of weeks ago – but I thought that was an important game for us.”

The team’s offense clicked against the Terriers, the Colonials exiting the game with a 52.2 shooting percentage and going 20-for-22 at the line, a sign of the program settling more into its plays and rhythm. McDonald lead all scorers with his 21 points, while freshman forward Patricio Garino and senior guard Bryan Bynes were next for GW, with nine apiece. Lonergan pointed out the importance of Bynes’ performance coming off a 1-for-9 game against Youngstown State, adding that the senior guard logged extra time in the gym, practicing shooting, last week.

50 of GW’s 72 points came from its six new recruits, a heartening statistic for a coach that plans to bet so much on his incoming players this season. Still, Lonergan said, despite a boost in confidence for those players, the Colonials need more production out of their senior members.

“Our freshmen are freshmen, but they’re good. But the key to our season, I’ve always said, are the upperclassmen. We’ve got to do a better job getting a lot more out of them,” Lonergan said.

It was McDonald who appeared to best settle into GW’s game plan Saturday, adding 21 points to the board, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. His ability to direct the team was clearer than ever before, increasing his communication and direction on the floor.

McDonald credited the growth in his comfort level to the support he receives from his coaches, saying they were responsible for his increased confidence heading into Saturday’s game. For Lonergan, it was the point guard he’s expected to see all along after freshman jitters in GW’s first few contests, especially watching McDonald contain BU freshman guard Maurice Watson, Jr., a fellow PARADE All-America selection.

“Joe’s not the guy I expect to get 21 points from every game, but everybody was sort of questioning him,” Lonergan said. “It’s a tough position to play, he’s a freshman. I have high expectations for him, I’ve never worried about him, never wavered in my confidence in him. He’s a really good player. He’s a big recruit for us.”

It wasn’t a perfect game for the Colonials. After a lights-out first half that saw GW enter the break with a 14-point advantage, BU retook the court with a revamped press defense, one that rattled a young Colonial lineup.

GW had 13 turnovers on the second half, 18 total, with BU nabbing four steals and using its newfound defensive edge to best the Colonials on points off turnovers 14-5. After a few struggles to penetrate the Terrier zone on the first, GW found itself working to hold onto its confidence, and take the momentum back from BU, in the second.

“I was trying not to go crazy and scream, because it was almost comical. Some of the turnovers were really, really bad. So I just tried to put four guard out there, and that wasn’t working,” Lonergan said. “We just weren’t making cuts hard. We were just kind of walking to the corner, throwing it in and being casual, and [BU’s] down, they’re fighting for their lives.”

The game could have more easily been in the Colonials’ hands, too, had the rebounding battle been more uneven. GW bested BU on the boards, but only by five, and though the Colonials boasted a 40-35 overall advantage, including a 34-18 mark in defensive rebounds, the Terriers won a 17-6 victory on the offensive glass.

Armwood paced GW with 12 rebounds, but the team as a whole needs to step it up on the boards, Lonergan said. Many times, possession went to BU because the Colonials failed to box out, a lapse that Lonergan finds inexcusable.

“Rebounds are effort, and we have to get some of our guys focused on that part of the game,” Lonergan said. “[Junior forward] Nemanja [Mikic] having three today is huge for us. Last week, he was the only guy on our team that did not get a rebound.”

Mikic keeps the ball away from a BU defender before passing it along in the first. Elizabeth Traynor | Hatchet Staff Photographer

Rebound battle aside, despite facing what Lonergan called “a heck of a backcourt,” GW was able to mostly limit BU’s shooting Saturday afternoon. The Colonials held their opponent to 32.4 percent shooting on the game, and kept the Terriers to 7-for-20 from beyond the arc.

The defensive gamechanger, Lonergan said, were the eight blocks from Armwood, a career-high for the senior who was easily the biggest man on the court against a small Terrier squad.

“I knew that their big man wasn’t an actual big man,” Armwood said. “So I’d be able to help out on defense a lot, because they’d be trying to get it in the lane and penetrate, because they’re so little.”

The Colonials managed to pick up their first victory of the season and their first road win of the year in one fell swoop, leaving Boston with an extra edge of confidence. It’s a boost that will need to play to GW’s advantage as it continues its road swing at Notre Dame Wednesday, Lonergan said.

“It’s a huge win. I was trying to be really loose today, because looking at our schedule, we lost a tough one to Youngstown State, a good team. I’m not embarrassed by that loss,” Lonergan said. “But with Notre Dame coming up and a young team, we have to get some of these wins. You don’t want to lose confidence.”

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Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 1:41 p.m.

Colonials handed first defeat of Italy trip

by Elizabeth Traynor

Then- sophomore Nemanja Mikic maneuvers his way around three Charlotte defenders last season. Hatchet File Photo

GW lost its first game of its Italian tour yesterday, falling 68-54 to Fortitudo Bologna.

Fortitudo Bologna competes in the Italian Lega Due, the second-highest level of competition in Italy. The team was the toughest opponent the Colonials have faced, according to a University release that called it “bigger, stronger and smarter than any team GW had played in Italy to this point.”

The Colonials were only down three after a quarter, 20-17, but saw their Italian opponents take over for the rest of the game. Bologna applied heavy defensive pressure, fortifying it with quick passing to put GW behind by 13 points. Junior forward Nemanja Mikic drained three second-half treys in an attempt to overcome Bologna’s salvo, but his efforts weren’t enough to help the Colonials to victory.

Mikic paced GW with 11 points, followed by freshman forward Joe McDonald, who added nine, but didn’t return to competition after a mid-court collision in the second quarter.

The Colonials next square off against a select team from Varese, Italy.

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Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012 8:57 a.m.

Men’s basketball wins first game in Italy

by Elizabeth Traynor
Men Basketball, Isaiah Armwood, Practice

Men’s basketball forward Isaiah Armwood executes a lay-up drill during the men’s basketball team’s open practice Tuesday in the Smith Center. Elizabeth Traynor | Hatchet Staff Photographer

The men’s basketball team won its first game as a part of its Italian tour yesterday, defeating the NSA Naples servicemen 81-40 in the Colonials’ first team action of the 2012-13 season.

A University release summarized the game on an athletics blog, describing the team as “slow to start” but picking up a 30-13 lead after the first of four 10-minute periods. Freshman Joe McDonald and Patricio Garino, both likely starters for the Colonials this season, ran the backcourt, while fellow freshman Kevin Larsen anchored the post, netting 12 first-half points.

“The second half featured some hot outside shooting from [junior forward] Nemanja Mikic, who finished just behind Larsen with 12 points, and some transition baskets to roll to a 65-30 lead after three quarters and eventually an 81-40 win,” the release said.

Larsen paced the Colonials with 13 points, followed by Mikic with 12, senior forward Dwayne Smith with 11, Garino with 10 and sophomore forward John Kopriva with nine.

GW will next take the court Monday, taking on more servicemen at U.S. Army base Camp Darby in Livorno, Italy.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012 6:10 p.m.

Nemanja Mikic named a member of the NABC Honors Court

by Elizabeth Traynor

Nemanja Mikic maneuvers his way around three Charlotte defenders last season. | Hatchet File Photo

Junior forward Nemanja Mikic is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court, an award that recognizes collegiate basketball players who excelled academically during the season.

Mikic is one of six from the Atlantic 10 Conference to be given the award, joining 178 Division I players and 467 recipients nationwide, across all three NCAA divisions. The forward was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, the 12th Colonial to earn that honor since 1991.

Head men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan, a NABC member, nominated Mikic for the award.

“It is nice to see Nemanja recognized for his hard work in the classroom,” Lonergan said in a statement. “He is a true student-athlete and a first-class representative of George Washington on and off the court.”

Mikic’s made the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, with a GPA of at least 3.5, three of his four semesters at GW. He was also a member of the GW Athletics Academic Dean’s List in February.

As a sophomore last season, Mikic averaged 7.6 points and 24.5 minutes per game, while shooting a team-best 51 three pointers in 31 games. He also worked to improve his defensive game and expand his play past the long-range shooting he excelled at as a freshman.

In order to be named to the Honors Court, a player must meet four areas of criteria – be a junior or senior and a varsity player, own a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, have matriculated at least one year at their current institution and be a member of an NCAA institution.

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