More than a quarter of the way into the game, redshirt junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh had five times as many points than the entire opposing roster combined.
By the time Cavanaugh’s second three-pointer from the top of the key gave GW (9-1) a staggering 21-2 lead midway through the first half, the Scarlet Knights (4-6) had made just one field goal on 15 attempts.
GW’s Big Ten opponent managed a handful of subsequent mini-runs, but the Colonials’ dominant and often entertaining performance, which drove them to a 83-49 decision over Rutgers, was the story all afternoon.
“I thought we had been letting teams back in games, and I thought we kept the pedal to the metal in this one,” Cavanaugh said. “Everyone was active, I thought that was key. We played together offensively and defensively. We’ve just got to keep getting everyone going and we’ll keep this thing going.”
The Wake Forest transfer led the charge with 22 points, 12 of which came from deep, and senior forward Kevin Larsen added a team-best seven rebounds. They were complemented by a committee of six other Colonials who scored six points or more.
Despite a lopsided final score that handed GW its third straight and ninth overall victory, the contest never provided a dull moment.
Whether it was a save at the baseline by a sprinting Jordan Roland, a contested corner-three from Yuta Watanabe after receiving a sweet dish from Paul Jorgensen, who had his usual bag of crossover tricks on display all game, or acrobatic drives to the rim by Joe McDonald, the Smith Center crowd had plenty to cheer about in addition to the 34-point win.
Padding a determined offensive effort, GW’s defense forced 22 Rutgers turnovers, a season-high, behind another season-best 18 steals.
“We just wanted to jump on them early. They’re starting freshmen and sophomores, a talented backcourt, but I figured they hadn’t really seen a 1-3-1 with our length, especially…today we were playing it to really try to force turnovers,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “And playing at home I wanted to feed off the energy of the crowd.”
The first half started slow, but GW quickly found its stride and ended the frame shooting at a healthy 43.8 percent clip from the field, having hit six of 12 from beyond the arc. Behind poor shooting, the Scarlet Knights netted their first basket with 14:42 left until halftime and it took more than five more minutes for them to get their second. By that time, GW had already scored 23 points.
Rutgers clawed back into it with a series of offensive spurts, but 11 first-half turnovers, eight of which were caused by GW steals, prevented them from ever making it close. Twelve points from Cavanaugh and eight from senior guard Joe McDonald guided the Colonials to a 46-24 halftime lead.
Out of the break, GW picked up right where it had left off. Back-to-back three-pointers from graduate student guard Alex Mitola and Cavanaugh early in the second frame got the Colonial faithful roaring and extended GW’s lead to 54-27.
From there the Colonials never looked back, as stellar play off the bench also propelled the home team in the second half. GW received a season-high 34 points off the pine on the day, with 23 coming in the final frame. Sophomore guard Paul Jorgensen led that effort with 10 points and a game-high five assists.
“Off the bench we always want to bring energy, play hard and we have a great group of guys who come in and do that. That was our goal, that was coach’s emphasis tonight and we did that,” Jorgensen said. “I like to go in there and try to make something happen early.”
Adding to his double-digit scoring performance, the sixth-man also led GW with five assists on the night. Cavanaugh, senior swingman Patricio Garino and Larsen, who leads the team in passing numbers, each contributed three as the Colonials finished with 18 total assists and just seven turnovers.
“I thought [our passing] was great tonight, I mean when your biggest guy is your best passer that helps,” Cavanaugh said. “When we move the ball, we have so many great shooters that we are going to get an open shot.”
GW finished the night shooting 42.9 percent from the field to Rutgers’ 34. GW hit 10-of-26 from three-point range.
The Colonials will get a rest during finals week, but will conclude their four-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 19 against Saint Peter’s at 1 p.m.
