George Washington opens Atlantic 10 play with 69-63 win over Fordham
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Version 0 of 1. For a team like George Washington with a skilled starting lineup but limited depth, there are only so many opportunities to enjoy lopsided margins. That’s doubly true in league play, as the Colonials were reminded as they began the Atlantic 10 portion of their schedule Sunday night against Fordham. George Washington built a seemingly comfortable first-half margin, only to sputter early in the second half and endure far more anxiety than it desired in the closing minutes of a 69-63 victory at Smith Center. “That team played hard — very hard,” junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh said. “We just have to come out stronger because the first four minutes of the second half are the most important of every game.” Cavanaugh had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Colonials (12-2, 1-0), who remained undefeated in nine home games and improved to 12-0 all-time at home against Fordham. The Rams (9-3, 0-1) took advantage of a manageable nonconference schedule to get off to its best start in 45 years. But the Rams could do little right offensively in the first half even as they harassed George Washington with the sort of aggressive defense that overwhelmed many of their early opponents. The Colonials led by 17 in the first half and took a 34-19 edge into the break. Fordham countered quickly, trimming its deficit to 38-33 less than five minutes into the second half. “It was 17 and we should have scored at the end [of the half],” Colonials Coach Mike Lonergan said. “I actually thought we were going to jump on them right away and win going away, but I was wrong. I thought we’d have more energy. I couldn’t stay in the 1-3-1. We’re not a mature team. As experienced as we are, we have to get more mature.” The Colonials never relinquished the lead, though the upstart Rams didn’t fade as the half progressed. Fordham closed within 59-56 with less than three minutes remaining, only for Cavanaugh to respond with a layup off a feed from Joe McDonald on the next possession. The Rams nearly trimmed the margin back to three when Antwoine Anderson took a steal in for a layup, but Yuta Watanabe contested it and was fouled while collecting the defensive rebound. He made both free throws to bump the Colonials’ lead to 63-56. The Colonials made another significant stop in the final minute, forcing Anderson to turn it over again with 28 seconds remaining to preserve a five-point advantage. George Washington then sealed the triumph at the foul line “It’s definitely a good win,” said guard Patricio Garino (12 points). “A conference game is a war. We know each other very well. There’s definitely a lot of room of improvement for us.” The Colonials entered league play with one of the best résumés in the Atlantic 10, claiming wins over Penn State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Tennessee and Virginia. The only blemishes were a neutral-court loss to Cincinnati and a pre-Christmas setback at DePaul. Preseason favorite Dayton (11-2) owns victories over Iowa and Vanderbilt and now has back forward Dyshawn Pierre, a returning second team all-league player who served a suspension during the fall semester. Meanwhile, other projected contenders encountered some bumps. Rhode Island lost guard E.C. Matthews to a knee injury on the first day of the regular season, while Virginia Commonwealth faced a challenging nonconference schedule to open its first season under new coach Will Wade. Both dropped five games outside of league play. Still, that pair of teams and Dayton all won conference openers Saturday. The Colonials joined them atop the Atlantic 10 with their latest victory, all too aware nearly all of the next 17 games (plus the league tournament) will share plenty in common with Sunday’s slugfest. “In conference, a lot of games are going to be battles,” Lonergan said. “I’m happy we won. Obviously we have to play a lot better to win at Saint Louis on the road [Wednesday].” |