Men’s basketball earned a victory in their exhibition match against Hood College Monday night.
In the first match back in front of home fans, the Colonials defeated the Blazers 93–51 as GW dominated in every major statistical category. The Colonials outshot Hood College 54.1 percent to 30.2 percent from the field and GW also shot at a 36.7 percent clip from deep, more than double Hood College’s 15.2 percent, while finishing with 25 assists, 15 more than the Blazers.
The indications of a blowout started early on, with GW starting the game on a 7-0 scoring run in the first three minutes. GW’s aggressive defense and help coverage led to five steals and four blocks, as well as nine turnovers by the Blazers.
Senior guard Amir Harris, who was injured for the entirety of the 2020-21 season, quickly cemented his impact once again on the defensive end, recording three of his four total blocks within the first two minutes. With 18 minutes and 28 seconds left to go in the first half, Harris blocked a three, leading freshman guard Brayon Freeman to push the ball and find graduate student Brendan Adams for a three point score. Harris also recorded two steals in the first half.
Junior guard James Bishop, who finished second in the A-10 in scoring last season, scored eight straight points with 13:30 left in the first half. Shortly after, Bishop sunk two straight 3-pointers and converted a fast break layup with 11:33 left in the first half.
After a timeout, Bishop tossed an alley-oop to junior forward Hunter Dean, widening GW’s lead to 21–6.
GW’s ball movement against Hood College’s 2-3 zone proved effective as Dean was able to capitalize, flashing to the free-throw line or below where his teammates continually fed him the ball for interior shots. Dean shot an efficient 6-of-7 from the floor, with his efforts earning him the player of the game award as he finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
With just over two minutes to go in the first half, Bishop knocked down two more consecutive threes to put the Colonials ahead at 46–17. The Blazers converted a three of their own to bring the score to 46–20 by halftime.
The Colonials were able to successfully lockdown Hood College and limit them to just 25 percent from the floor and 1-of-15 from beyond the three point line. GW’s offense was efficient throughout the first half, as they were able to convert on 62.5 percent of their first half field goals.
The Colonials continued to dominate throughout the second half. Sophomore center Noel Brown was able to draw several shooting fouls, earning six free throws in the second half while converting 6-of-7 free throws on the night.
With just under 8 minutes left on the clock, Bishop hit a 3-pointer to put the score at 70-42, prompting a barrage of Colonial three point buckets. Adams hit a three with 6:02 left, followed by another from Bishop at the 5:28 minute mark.
GW hit three more 3-pointers over the next three and a half minutes, culminating in a three by freshman forward Daniel Nixon with 2:31 left that put GW up by 41 points with a score of 87-46.
GW ended up winning by 42 points, 93-51. Five players racked up double-figure point totals, including Bishop, Freeman, Brown, Adams and Dean.
Bishop led the way, finishing with 22 points and seven assists while hitting 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-11 beyond the arc. GW’s aggressive defense limited the Blazers to just two players in double figures, senior guard Mason Wang with 16 points and junior guard Will Pataki with 10 points.
After a dominating exhibition performance, the Colonials look to start the non-conference slate strong next Tuesday, Nov. 9 with a home matchup against Saint Francis. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. at the Smith Center.
