Men’s basketball defeated Mercyhurst University 76-59 to open the 2024-25 season Monday night.
After a slow start that saw the Revolutionaries fall behind by 13 points near the midpoint of the first half, GW fought back to enter halftime tied up. The Revs’ offense sparked in the second half, led by redshirt sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr., who led the team with 19 points off 6-8 shooting.
Buchanan said he appreciated the atmosphere provided by the Smith Center crowd of more than 1,800, especially as he and the team provided high-level scoring in the second half, with 47 total points.
“Yeah, it was good,” Buchanan said. “Especially when we had dunks, I almost started crying. It was good energy. I missed it a lot.”
In addition to his scoring, Buchanan collected 10 rebounds and dished two assists, securing a double-double in the process. In his first game at GW, redshirt junior Rafael Castro also recorded a double-double, notching 16 points with 10 rebounds and four assists. Redshirt junior Trey Moss added 17 points in his Revs’ debut.
The Revs struggled shooting in the first half, going 8-25 from the field and 0-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. As the team adjusted to the Lakers’ defensive strategy that involves players switching, they relied more on paint scoring, which accounted for 38 of their 52 points from the field.
“One of the things that we thought we could do against them was sort of go high-low against their switches,” Head Coach Chris Caputo said. “And we saw that working, we went to it and then reminded them they want to keep it in there, and then we went to go get it on the offensive glass.”
Despite the slow start, Buchanan said he and his teammates always had faith and when the team settled into their defensive system, the Revs found their game.
“When we went down, I was just like, ‘Relax,’” Buchanan said. “Like, the game’s not over. I knew we were gonna win. I had no doubt we were gonna win the game. Once everybody got settled in, it became pretty easy for us. We got back to our defensive game plan.”
Leaving the second half knotted at 29 apiece, GW was able to build a steady lead as the second half continued, extending it to 11 when Moss sank a layup with about eight minutes left. Moss scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half, his first game in the Buff & Blue after transferring from William & Mary this offseason.
Caputo said he was impressed with Moss’ performance, particularly after he battled an injury this summer.
“He’s been very good,” Caputo said. “And then he got hurt, and he was out for a little while, so he’s still working himself back into it, but his second half was tremendous.”
Castro also impressed in his first game after transferring to GW. His chemistry with Buchanan was clear, with Castro’s size and Buchanan’s playmaking ability proving tough for Mercyhurst to defend.
“It’s as simple as this,” Castro said. “So you gotta stop Jun [Buchanan], but if you step up and try to stop Jun, he’s gonna dish it to me anytime. So just playing off Jun is just a great thing. He’s got a big physical body and drives to the paint.”
The Revs continue their out-of-conference play on Friday when they host the Hampton University Pirates at 7 p.m.
