Paul Jorgensen (#3) scored a career-high 13 points |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
GW Men's Hoops Blitzes Duquesne Behind the Arc for 74-59 Win
Colonials' Backcourt Combines for 67 Points, 15 Assists and a Dozen Threes in Rout of Dukes
GW men's basketball sank its most three-pointers in six seasons to improve to 6-1 in the Atlantic 10 for the first time in eight seasons with a 74-59 victory over Duquesne during Homecoming at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday.
A sold-out Homecoming crowd of 4,697 saw GW blitz Duquesne with nine first-half threes en route to 12-of-24 behind the arc for the contest, the most for the Colonials since hitting a dozen at Auburn on Nov. 22, 2008.
Patricio Garino (#13) led all scorers with 20 points |
The victory moves GW (16-4) to 6-1 in A-10 play for the first time since the 2006-07 season and sets up a nationally televised CBS Sports Network showdown at VCU (16-3, 6-0 A-10) on Tuesday night with an opportunity to pull even with the Rams atop the league standings.
Nick Griffin hit 3 treys in the first half |
GW remained unbeaten at home this season (9-0) and has now won 11 consecutive and 24 of its last 25 games at the Smith Center.
Kethan Savage (#11) led all players with 8 assists |
The Colonials' backcourt did the bulk of the damage against the Dukes with juniors starters Patricio Garino, Joe McDonald and Kethan Savage and reserves Paul Jorgensen and Nick Griffin combining for 67 points on 22-of-39 shooting, 12-of-20 behind the arc, 21 rebounds and 15 assists.
Joe McDonald added 16 points & 5 rebounds |
Garino led all players with 20 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-9 at the foul line along with a game-high three blocks, four rebounds and three assists. McDonald matched his career-high with four three-pointers en route to 16 points, five boards and three assists, while Jorgensen went for a career-best 13 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Savage and Griffin each made three triples to finish with nine points, with Savage adding a career-high eight assists against no turnovers.
"Mr. Intangibles" senior John Kopriva |
GW came out on fire against Duquesne's (6-12, 1-6 A-10) zone defense, burying seven of its first 10 three-point tries, including three from McDonald, for a 25-9 lead midway through the first half. The Colonials went 9-of-17 from deep in the opening stanza, but also held the Dukes to one field goal over a stretch of nearly 14 minutes to lead by as much as 24 before taking a 40-18 cushion into intermission.
Yuta Watanabe (#12) scored 3 points off the bench |
McDonald and Savage continued the barrage with two more threes out of the locker room, and Garino scored nine of his 20 points during a 23-9 run to begin the second half, for GW's largest lead at 63-27 with 13:02 remaining. Savage added the Colonials' 12th triple with 90 seconds left for a 73-47 advantage before the Dukes' closed on a 12-1 run to produce the 74-59 final margin.
Can this guy coach or what? |
Derrick Colter was the lone Dukes player in double figures with 12 points. It marked Duquesne's fifth straight loss overall and fourth in a row to the Colonials. The two teams will meet in Pittsburgh on Feb. 11.
With one steal, Garino moved into a tie for seventh with Lasan Kromah on GW's career steals list with 149.
The victory improved GW to 15-0 this season when scoring 60-or-more points and 10-0 when shooting better than 45 percent (48.1%, 25-52).
Click here for today's box score.