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| Kevin Larsen (#21) shot 6-8 and scored 16 points |
From our friends at GW Athletics Communications...
Savage Sparks Second-Half Surge, Sets Career-Highs Across the Board
GW men's basketball tipped off its banner 100th season in triumphant fashion on Friday night with a 76-54 victory over Radford at the Charles E. Smith Center.
GW (1-0) won its season opener for the 70th time behind an offense that made half its shots (24-of-48), led by sophomore Kethan Savage, who came off the bench to set career highs of 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and five steals in 23 minutes.
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| Joe McDonald (#22) had 4 assists & 6 rebounds |
Defensively, GW limited RU to just 33 percent shooting (20-of-60), including 5-of-21 behind the arc and a combined 3-for-17 effort and 10 points from leading returning scorers Javonte Green (5 PTS., 2-7 FG) and R.J. Price (5 PTS., 1-10 FG).
Sophomore Kevin Larsen provided 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and graduate student Maurice Creek, playing his first game for GW, finished with 12 points, including a bank-in three pointer at the horn to give the Colonials a 39-26 halftime lead.
Radford (0-1) got off to a quick start with back-to-back Jalen Carethers dunks to put GW in an early 4-1 deficit. Senior Nemanja Mikic responded with one of his two triples on the night to tie it at 4-4, then consecutive driving lay-ins by Savage and sophomore Joe McDonald put the Colonials ahead for good.
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| Great fan turnout |
GW shot 57 percent to steadily add to its first-half lead, extending to double figures at 31-21 on a McDonald triple, then peaking at 39-26 on Creek's three off the glass at the halftime buzzer.
The lead remained 13 early in the second half until GW clamped down defensively, holding Radford without a basket for more than eight minutes during a 20-3 run that opened the largest lead of the night at 64-34 with 9:02 to play. Savage accounted for more than half of the points during the run, scoring seven and assisting a Larsen dunk and Mikic triple. The Colonials cruised from there en route to victory in their first-ever meeting with the Highlanders.
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| Who's this guy? |
GW finished with a 43-34 rebounding advantage, thanks to a game-high 12 boards from Isaiah Armwood, who also added seven points, two blocks, two steals and two assists. The Colonials also held a 30-16 edge in points in the paint and converted 23-of-29 free throws, including 14-of-16 in the second half.
The Colonials return to the Smith Center on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., against the Maine Black Bears. The contest can be streamed online on RaiseHigh Live and heard live on FederalNewsRadio.com and 1050 AM.
Click here for last night's box score.
