Jan. 26, 2013

Box Score | Box Score | RaiseHigh.tv coverage: Highlights | Post-Game | Full Game Replay

WASHINGTON - George Washington men's basketball built a double-digit lead by the second media timeout and cruised to an 82-54 thrashing of Atlantic 10 co-leader Charlotte at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday.

The victory was GW's (10-9, 4-2 A-10) third straight conference win and seventh consecutive home victory over Charlotte (16-4, 4-2 A-10), which began the day tied with Xavier and VCU atop the A-10 standings.

The triumph also moved GW coach Mike Lonergan, who donned sneakers with his suit for Coaches vs. Cancer's Suits and Sneakers weekend, within three wins of his 400th career victory (397-186).

Freshman Patricio Garino made 6-of-6 shots, including a pair of three-pointers, and led the Colonials with 16 points and a game-high four steals. Senior reserves Lasan Kromah and Bryan Bynes each scored 12 points, seniors Isaiah Armwood and Dwayne Smith added nine points apiece, and rookie Joe McDonald finished with eight points. Armwood matched the game-high with eight rebounds, while McDonald and Bynes combined for nine assists and just three turnovers.

The Colonials limited the 49ers to 31.6 percent shooting, including an 0-for-11 three-point effort in the second half, and just six assists while forcing 17 turnovers. GW also torched the A-10's leading field-goal percentage defense for 53.2 percent shooting (25-47), marking the first time this season a Charlotte opponent shot better than 50 percent.

Charlotte's DeMario Mayfield, who finished with a game-high 17 points, opened the scoring 2:10 into the game, but freshman Kethan Savage answered with a basket followed by a Garino three-point play and GW never trailed again.

Bynes made back-to-back shots to give the Colonials a double-digit cushion at 17-7 by the 11:41 mark of the first half and the 49ers would get no closer than seven the rest of the afternoon. GW shot nearly 58 percent (15-26) while limiting Charlotte to 36.7 percent (11-30) in the first half for a 35-27 advantage at the break.

The second half was plagued by fouls as both teams reached the bonus before the under-12 media timeout, but the Colonials managed to maintain an 8-to-12 point margin before putting the game away over the final 10 minutes.

Charlotte's Chris Braswell, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half, went to the bench with his fourth foul with 10:53 left and his team trailing 53-42. GW took control with a 29-10 run - including a stretch of 13 straight points punctuated by a Bynes three-pointer and Garino fast-break dunk - to surge to its largest lead at 82-52 with 54 seconds remaining.

The Colonials posted a 43-10 edge in bench points and have now outscored their six A-10 opponents 181-67 off the bench. GW also improved to 10-4 this season when outrebounding its opponent with a 40-27 edge on the glass.

GW has a week off until its next game on Saturday, Feb. 2 against La Salle at the Smith Center. That game can be viewed live on RaiseHigh.tv and heard live on FederalNewsRadio.com and 1500/820 AM.

GW Extends Streak to Three with 82-54 win Over Charlotte

GW took down the top team in the Atlantic 10 with a dominant 82-54 win over the Charlotte 49ers. Raise High!

Storified by George Washington· Sat, Jan 26 2013 14:22:21