What’s surprising is GW (2-0) hasn’t defeated a ranked team at home in 20 years AND I think I attended the game the last time this happened! Was that the one where Shawnta Rogers drained the three at the buzzer to win from right front of the student section? Or am I thinking of one of the three times we beat then #1 ranked UMass when they had Marcus Camby? There are so many times we’ve dominated ranked teams I get them all confused.
Coverage of Virginia win from from GW Sports
WASHINGTON – Senior Patricio Garino and junior Tyler Cavanaugh combined for 36 points and four players scored in double digits as the George Washington men’s basketball team knocked off No. 6 Virginia, 73-68, in front of 5,025 fans at a raucous Charles E. Smith Center on Monday night in the opening game of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon.
GW (2-0) shot 50-percent (12-for-24) from the field with three three-pointers in the first half to take a 35-32 lead into halftime. The Colonials kept the pressure on in the second half, holding off a late Virginia (1-1) rally to secure the program’s first win over a ranked opponent at home since Jan. 14, 1997 against then-No. 18 Xavier.
Garino poured in a game-high tying 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including one three pointer and going 3-for-3 from from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and two assists.
Cavanaugh finished with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting along with five rebounds. The junior went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to pace the Colonials to 82.1-percent (23-of-28)effort for the game.
Coverage from Fansided.
The George Washington Colonials were sort of a mixed bag heading into the start of college basketball season. Given the talent dispersed throughout their roster, they entered the year with the possibility of competing atop the Atlantic 10. However, they also had the hallmarks of a team that could disappoint overall. The Colonials proved on Monday night against the No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers that perhaps we should expect big things from them.
George Washington came out and smacked the Cavaliers in the mouth from the opening tip. They jumped out to a small early lead and continued to hold onto it. Even when Virginia tried to make a run in the second half, Tyler Cavanaugh and Patricio Garino stepped up in a huge way for the Colonials to keep their edged over the sixth-ranked team in the nation. In the end, George Washington pulled of the biggest upset so far in the young season with the 72-68 win over the Cavaliers.
Perhaps the most impressive part from the Colonials in this shocking win was the fact that they won this game with their defense. Defense is supposed to be the calling card of this Virginia team that won the ACC in the regular season last year, but the Colonials turned the tide in this matchup. Malcolm Brogdon showed up with 27 points and nine rebounds in the loss, but the rest of the Cavaliers failed to step up.
George Washington will now move on and look to stay hot as they face the South Florida Bulls on Thursday. Virginia on the other hand will look to regroup from this early season upset loss as they take on the Bradley Braves on Thursday night.
Glancing at the box score GW free throw success stands out.
Shades