Tuesday, Nov. 24
Freshman Bryan Bynes felt his jump shot had been off the past couple games, so before Tuesday night’s home game against Princeton, he carved an hour out of his schedule to work on it.
“That was one point where I wanted to make a statement tonight,” he said after the game. “And it worked out for the best.”
Indeed, the practice paid off. The first-year guard from Florida knocked down four of five three-point attempts in the game to give him a team-best and career-high 13 points, including six in a 40-second span down the stretch that helped GW put the visiting Tigers away for a 65-50 win.
“I think I shot some big shots at the end of the game,” he said, his smile widening with each word.
“Yeah,” head coach Karl Hobbs added with a laugh. “You did.”
Like Bynes, the rest of the young team played aggressively, capturing the lead midway through the first half and maintaining it for the rest of the game.
But while the Colonials’ (4-0) eagerness resulted in a strong defense with 39 rebounds compared to Princeton’s 22 and a forceful full-court press, the team faltered on the offensive end, eventually logging 20 turnovers.
Hobbs cited the failure to take care of the ball at times as evidence of that eagerness.
“I just think the guys were trying to make plays a little too quick,” he said. “We were trying to up the tempo of the game and as a result we got a little too over-exuberant sometimes.”
“We looked young today,” he added. “We had moments where we looked confused or unsure or we were just trying to play a little too fast.”
Though GW never fell behind, Princeton was able to get back into the game, slowly chipping away at a double-digit deficit in the second half until they closed within five points with less than six minutes to play.
That’s when sophomore Tony Taylor and senior Damian Hollis combined to score nine points in the next two minutes before Bynes came off the bench to knock down consecutive threes. His shots put the Colonials ahead by 18 with two minutes left in the game, essentially securing the team’s first 4-0 start since 2006-07, the last season it made the NCAA tournament.
Hollis narrowly missed a double-double in the game with nine points and nine rebounds, with freshmen Lasan Kromah and Tim Johnson each scoring nine points as well. Freshman David Pellom was next in scoring with eight points, including three second-half slam dunks, and also added five rebounds, good for second-best on the team.
GW’s defense held the Tigers to just 24-percent shooting from the field in the first half and 5-of-26 three-point shooting for the game. The Colonials made 16 of 17 free throws – a point of emphasis, Hobbs said – and shot better from beyond the arc (56.3 percent) than inside of it (34.3 percent).
The Colonials continue their homestand Saturday against Oregon State, the first-ever Pac 10 team to play at Smith Center, and head coach Craig Robinson, brother of first lady Michelle Obama. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
