Men’s basketball began their preseason slate with a home victory but have fallen into a losing streak in the last four games.
The Colonials (1-4) have been shooting at a .373 percent clip from the floor while holding a .286 average from the three-point line. Last year, the Colonials held a .462 shooting average and shot at a .343 percent clip from deep through five games.
Since transferring to GW in April, sophomore guard Joe Bamisile has become the top scorer on the team, hitting 28-of-70 from the floor to net 70 total points.
The team has consistently gotten themselves into foul trouble, which has played a role in their opponents outscoring them thus far. GW’s opponents have shot a total of 127 free throws to the Colonials’ 81, converting on 91 of them.
During GW’s home opener and sole victory against Saint Francis, the Colonials were able to close out the game 75-72 in a nail-biting finish with the Red Flash. The Colonials sank 24-of-62 attempts from the floor, firing at a .375 clip from downtown, and the Red Flash followed closely behind with a 37.7 shooting percentage, converting 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The Colonials began the first half with an early 11-6 lead in the first five minutes of the game with three different players scoring from inside the paint. A fast break dunk by senior forward Ricky Lindo Jr. marked his 11th and 12th points of the first half to consolidate the GW lead.
The Red Flash gained momentum during the second half with a 6-0 scoring run to shorten the lead to 7 points. Graduate student Guard Brendan Adams responded with a 3-pointer to bring GW back up to 32.
Redshirt senior Forward Mark Flagg began a 10-2 scoring run for the Red Flash with a layup, helping the Saint Francis team cut the lead to one point. Lindo Jr. finished the game for the Colonials with two free throws that finalized the Colonials’ lead of two points. He ended the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and three steals in a strong individual performance.
In their second game, the Colonials faced Maryland where they fell 71-64 after the Terrapins gained momentum during the second half to eliminate GW’s lead. The Colonials hit at a .409 clip from the floor, netting 23.5 percent from the 3-point line.
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Bamisile netted 20 points for the Colonials, slamming home a breakaway windmill dunk 3 1/2 minutes into the second half. Junior Guard James Bishop followed along with 13 points, two assists and four rebounds. Maryland pulled through in the second half with the help of Georgetown transfer junior forward Qudus Wahab, who amassed 18 points and 15 rebounds on the night.
The Colonials continued their three game road stint, traveling to California to take on the UC San Diego Tritons, but fell 75-55. The Colonials hit at a .362 clip from the field. Lindo Jr. notched a double-double, his first of the season, netting in 13 points with 11 rebounds for GW. Bamisile and Adams followed along with 12 points each.
GW was only able to connect on 3-of-19 3-pointers, good for a .158 average. The Colonials scored 17 points off turnovers compared to the Tritons’ 15.
The Tritons had a .40 scoring percentage from the paint while netting .440 from the 3-point line. San Diego hit a 21-10 advantage early on the 11-minute mark, hitting 11 3-pointers.
A game against Cal State Fullerton left the Colonials at a 79-54 deficit marking the third consecutive loss of their preseason slate. This time Bishop led the way for the Colonials with 19 points and three assists, shooting 7-of-21 from the field and 5-of-14 from 3-point range.
GW shot at a .373 clip from beyond the arc and forced 11 turnovers, off of which 10 points were scored. The Titans shot at a .433 clip, hitting .364 percent of their shots from behind the 3-point line.
The Titans began their advantage with six minutes left to go in the first half, going on a 19-point run while the Colonials entered a scoring drought.
The Colonials went on a 16-0 run in the final three minutes of the game, but were ultimately unable to overcome the Titans’ lead, falling to an 11-3 spurt by the Titans. Sophomore center Noel Brown scored his first double-digit effort, netting 10 points with three rebounds.
In GW’s most recent Friday game against Massachusetts Lowell, the Colonials fell 67–56, succumbing to their fourth consecutive loss in their preseason slate.
The River Hawks jumped out to an early lead, going on a 10-point run as the Colonials faced a six minute scoring drought. After a foul from junior Guard Gregory Hammond, Bishop sunk three free throws, breaking the scoring drought for GW.
A jumper from Bishop brought GW level before the Colonials took the lead with a 3-pointer from Adams that led to GW taking a 19-12 lead with just over 10 minutes left.
Bishop maintained a consistent showing in the first half as he scored 12 points and hit the final jump shot of the half, giving the Colonials a 35-26 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the River Hawks went on a 13-4 run, shooting at a .548 clip from the floor to tie the game with just over 15 minutes left to play. The Colonials were able to regain the lead with a jumper and a free throw from Bamisile.
But the River Hawks responded, outscoring the Colonials 27-12 the rest of the way to finish the game with a win. Massachusetts Lowell capitalized on the lack of communication from GW, as the Colonials defense was left lagging behind.
The Colonials were unable to bolster their offense to penetrate the River Hawks defensive, shooting a woeful 8-of-28 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc in the second half.
The Colonials will look to snap their losing streak, hitting the road for the Naples Invitational beginning Nov. 22. Their first opponent will be Wright State with tip-off at 7 p.m.