Saturday, November 3, 2012

New Kids on the Block Boost Colonials

Freshman G Joe McDonald runs point for GW

It was a big day for new faces at GW's Charles E. Smith Center. The Colonials, led by transfer Isaiah Armwood (7 PTS, 16 REB) cruised past Catholic University 72-46 in front of a home crowd of 1,792 strong. Fellow senior Dwayne Smith came off the bench to lead a balanced GW attack with 14 points, one of four players in double figures. As far as exhibition games go, things couldn't have gone any better than they did for the buff and blue.

Without a doubt, the most exciting player on the court was GW's new "man in the middle" former Villanova Wildcat Armwood. After sitting out all of last season, the 6'9 senior showed an endless supply of energy... getting a hand on almost every ball that came his way. In addition to his dominant performance on the boards, Armwood had three steals and two blocks (a number matched by star guard Lasan Kromah, who also scored 12 points.)

The local matchup was a reunion of sorts for GW head coach Mike Lonergan, who led the Cardinals to an NCAA Division III Championship back in 2001. GW outscored Catholic by identical 36-23 scores in both halves, allowing Lonergan to go to his suddenly deep bench with regularity. Freshman Center Kevin Larsen appeared to aggravate his recent hip injury in the first half. Once healthy, he could pair with fellow Montrose Christian alum Armwood to give the Colonials a strong 1-2 combination around the basket.

The Colonials open their regular season at home next Saturday at 4:00 PM versus Youngstown State: Click here to purchase tickets to the game. Get to Smith Center early for the second annual GW Men's Basketball Home Opener Tailgate, beginning at 2:00 PM. 22nd Street (in front of Smith Center) will be shut down; and free food, music and other entertainment will be provided.

Click here for today's box score.