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| Maurice Creek (#1) scored 17 points in his GW debut |
From our friends at GW Athletics Communications...
Four Colonials Reach Double Figures; Creek and Armwood Register Double-Doubles
Nemanja Mikic, Maurice Creek and Isaiah Armwood combined for 42 points to lead a balanced offense as GW men's basketball defeated Bowie State, 85-68, in an exhibition at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday afternoon.
Mikic led all players with 19 points and five 3-pointers, while Creek and Armwood both posted double-doubles in the Colonials' lone tune-up before Friday's regular-season opener against Radford. Creek finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, and Armwood stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks.
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| Frosh Miguel Cartagena (#3) scored 11 points off the bench |
Freshman Miguel Cartagena also reached double figures with 11 points off the bench, sophomore Kethan Savage chipped in nine points, seven assists and three steals, and sophomore Kevin Larsen added eight points and six boards.
GW trailed by four early against a Bowie State team that is picked to win the CIAA Northern Division and visited Duke for an exhibition last week, but quickly took the lead for good with back-to-back threes from Mikic and Armwood during a 10-0 run for a 13-7 advantage 3:38 into the contest.
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| Kevin Larsen (#21) had 6 rebounds and 2 blocks |
The Colonials' first-half lead peaked at 13 twice - first at 43-40 on Creek's 15-foot bank shot, then at 49-36 on a Cartagena jumper - before settling at 12 points, 53-41, at intermission. GW shot 50 percent (17-34) and had six players score at least eight points by the break, led by nine from Mikic and Savage, as well as eight points and nine boards by Armwood and eight points and eight rebounds by Creek.
GW opened the second half with an 8-2 run capped by a pair of Creek free throws for its largest advantage of the game at 61-43 with 17:19 left.
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| Tony & Joe's Relay Race |
Bowie State utilized relentless pressure - scoring 25 points off 30 GW turnovers in the game - and an up-tempo offense to stay within striking distance throughout the second stanza, climbing to within single digits at 66-57 with just over 11 minutes to play.
However, the Colonials allowed just 11 points over the final 11 minutes, while Cartagena and Mikic both hit key triples, and Creek and Armwood each broke loose for fast-break dunks to clinch the 17-point victory. It marked GW's third exhibition win over BSU in the last four seasons.
Preseason All-CIAA selection Carlos Smith led Bowie State with 15 points, while Ray Gatling added 13 points and a game-high six steals.
GW dominated the glass with a 54-34 rebounding advantage, and finished 46 percent (27-59) from the field, including 8-of-21 from deep, and 74 percent at the foul line (23-31), while holding BSU to 34 percent shooting (24-70) and 5-of-18 behind the arc.
The Colonials embark on their 100th season of intercollegiate competition on Friday against Radford at the Charles E. Smith Center. Game time is 7 p.m., with the third annual Home Opener Tailgate in front of Smith Center on 22nd Street starting at 4 p.m.
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