Updated: Nov. 9, 2025 at 5:32 p.m.
Men’s basketball (2-0) outlasted the University of South Florida 99-95 on Saturday in Uncasville, Connecticut, squeaking past the Bulls in a gritty, chippy game that featured five players foul out and 78 free throw attempts and solidified GW as a resilient early-season contender.
Displaying poise and depth across the roster, the Revolutionaries pieced together a balanced offensive attack that saw five players score in double figures and timely contributions from nearly every rotation player. Much of that strength came from graduate student guard Tre Dinkins, a transfer from Duquesne playing his first season at GW, who came off the bench four minutes into the first half to lead the team, scoring 22 points, 6 of 9 from the field and making four from behind the arc.
Saturday’s win against USF was a clear statement from the Revs about their ability to win the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Bulls are one of the toughest non-conference teams the Revs will play this season, ranked by Bart Torvik as the country’s 63rd best team prior to the game — four lower than GW, who sat at 59.
The Bulls were picked this offseason to finish second in the American Conference — a league of similar strength to the A-10.
In a season which GW enters with their best roster in years and an A-10 conference that looks to be wide open, this win establishes them as true contenders. As the team has struggled in recent years to schedule tough opponents and create a difficult non-conference schedule, USF is possibly GW’s only chance for a Quadrant 2 win before A-10 play, with the only team ranked above the Bulls being reigning-champions the University of Florida.
Although 21 turnovers and foul trouble plagued the Revs throughout, the team flashed with signs that they could be good enough for contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the conference’s first since Dayton in 2024. This win opened the door to that possibility, although they can’t afford any missteps against bad teams if they want it to be their reality.
Junior guard Trey Autry added 16 points of his own with seven rebounds, and redshirt senior forward Rafael Castro scored 14 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals and blocks before fouling out with 4:19 to play in the second half. Graduate student forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. and junior guard Bubu Benjamin each tallied an additional 13 points.
GW as a team shot 54 percent from the field and knocked down nine of 24 3-point attempts. Notably, they were able to notch such a percentage without redshirt junior forward Garrett Johnson — the team’s top 3-point shooter — who has missed the first two games with a knee injury and didn’t travel with the team to Connecticut. From the free throw line, the Revs struggled enormously in the first half, shooting 6 for 13 before tallying a 24-of-28 performance in the second half, including 19 consecutive makes early in the second half.
For the second straight game, GW lost the turnover battle despite the victory. Facing constant pressure from the USF defense, GW had 21 turnovers total, allowing for 30 points off of them. By comparison, USF saw 12 turnovers and allowed 12 points off turnovers.
The Revs accumulated five turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game as they trailed 17-10 in the first half, struggling against the Bulls’ aggressive, tight defense. The team was able to answer back with an 8-0 run following the media timeout to give GW its first lead of the day. Pace of play increased from then on, with both teams trading baskets before the Revs went on a 12-3 run in the final three minutes to enter the half leading 44-40.
Defensively, the Revs held their own despite the high-scoring contest. USF was held to 43 percent shooting from the floor and an unimpressive 6 for 33 from the 3-point line.
The Revs built on their lead with a 15-9 run start to the second half, taking a commanding 59-49 lead with 14 minutes remaining. USF responded by ramping up the pressure defensively, forcing multiple turnovers in the backcourt and tying the game at 67 with nine minutes left after an 11-0 run of their own.
The Revs regained the lead, which they would maintain for the rest of the game, with a clutch three-pointer from Dinkins, putting GW up 70-67. Both teams chipped away, USF narrowing the Revs’ lead to 83-81 with 3:52 to play in the second half, but Dinkins responded with back-to-back threes to send the Revs up 89-81. Marshall, who went 8-9 from the line on Saturday, then made two free throws to help the Revs break the 90-point mark.
After USF’s senior guard Josh Omojafo, who led the game with a career-high 33 points on the day, finished a layup and brought the Bulls to within one after multiple Revs turnovers and fouls. Autry then sank a pair of free throws to put GW up 96-93 before Bulls’ sophomore guard CJ Brown answered back, scoring two from the line himself, narrowing the Revs’ lead to 96-95.
GW fended off the last-minute attack from USF with a pair of made free throws by Dinkins and one from Marshall to keep the Bulls at least 3 points away. Down 4 with four seconds to play, senior forward Izaiyah Nelson launched the ball into the sidelines on the inbound, handing the possession back to GW and securing the Revs’ win.
Gritty defense and foul trouble defined the game for both the Revs and the Bulls. Officials called 52 personal fouls across both halves. For the Revs, both Jean Aranguren and Castro recorded five fouls while guard junior Wes Enis, Brown and senior forward Isaiah Jones all fouled out for USF.
The Revs will next play cross-town rivals American University on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center.
This post has been updated to include the following:
This post has been updated to include additional details about the gameplay.
