Maybe it was the broken rim. Or GW’s dominance in the paint. Either way, it made for a statement win for the Colonials.

After a highlight-reel slam by Duquesne’s Ovie Soko, Smith Center staff would be forced onto the court to fix what appeared to be a crooked rim.

A ladder and a level later, second-half play would continue, but Duquesne’s ability to score would not. GW would embark on a 17-8 run over the next nine minutes to grab the win, 71-57. The Colonials would not trail once in the entire game.

“I thought we did a pretty good job in the second half. We definitely didn’t shoot as well from three and we struggled from the free throw line, but our inside guys played another strong game,” head coach Mike Lonergan said.

The big question coming into the game was whether or not Lonergan would get playing time out of his injured stars: Joe McDonald and Maurice Creek.

That question would be answered with both suited up in warmups and McDonald eventually in the starting lineup. Creek would enter the game at 15:31 in the first half, but not look himself, scoring just one point over 21 minutes of play.

McDonald wouldn’t have that big an impact either – 3 points and a team-high six assists – but both their presences on the court seemed to add an energy and speed that just wasn’t there in the Dayton loss Saturday.

“I think it helps with some of our role players, it kind of takes the pressure off them, even if they just see those guys,” Lonergan said of having McDonald and Creek back tonight. “I knew Nemanja [Mikic] would play much better. Whenever Maurice is playing, Nemanja is much better and he just can’t be our first or only option from three.”

GW would ultimately win the game with its dominance in the paint and quick hands on the defensive end. Led by a double-double performance from senior forward Isaiah Armwood, the Colonials would outscore the Dukes 36 to 26 in the paint and outrebound them 42-37.

There must have been some grease on the ball from all the $1 hot dogs Wednesday, as possession seemed to change hands after every few dribbles. The two teams would combine for 30 turnovers, 15 each, but GW would take advantage of those opportunities, outscoring the Dukes 16-10 in points off turnovers.

In the first half, it was raining threes for both teams. Duquesne would enter into Colonial territory as the worst three-point defense in the Atlantic 10, but they would also bring with them the conference’s hottest shooter: Micah Mason.

Mason, who came in shooting 61 percent from three, led all scorers at the half with 11 points, draining 3-4 from behind the arc. He would go scoreless, though, the entire second half.

GW combated with its three-point duo of Mikic and freshman Nick Griffin. Both hit two threes for the Colonials in the first half, Griffin’s coming on back-to-back possessions, as GW extended its first half lead to 15.

The Colonials would lead by as many as 19 in the game, up 30-11 with 7:48 left in the first, but that large lead wouldn’t last as the Dukes would end the half on a 19-6 run.

“That was probably the first half time I went off a little bit today, trying to be a lot more positive because we have a mature team, an experienced team,” Lonergan said. “But that was definitely disappointing to be up by 19 at home. We kind of blew it because of some breakdowns.”

GW would return the favor in the second half, though, possibly with some help from the biceps of Soko.

Soko, Duquesne’s leading scorer, would record a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but ultimately do minimal damage to GW, going just 7-13 from the line.

Garino would lead the way for the Colonials, scoring 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half. Three others would finish in double figures for Lonergan – Armwood with 14, Larsen with 13 and Mikic with 11 – but that wasn’t what impressed the head coach most.

“We had 23 assists on 26 baskets,” Lonergan interjected. “Everyone will talk about four guys in double figures, but I like seeing a lot of guys with multiple assist games, because we’re a very unselfish team and if we reverse and share the ball, we’re pretty good.”

GW will defend its now 11-0 record at the Smith Center Saturday when they face off against Fordham at 4 p.m.

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