G Washington defeats St Mary Md 97-40
St Mary Md Visits G Washington in Dominant Home Victory
In a stark contrast to the predicted close matchup, George Washington University (G Washington) dismantled visiting St Mary's Maryland (St Mary Md) 97-40 on Tuesday night at the Charles E. Smith Center.
The home team's resounding victory serves as a statement win for their program and showcases the squad's depth and talent. From the opening tip-off, G Washington demonstrated its superiority over St Mary Md, building a 60-15 halftime lead that would ultimately prove insurmountable.
G Washington's Rafael Castro led the way with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field (60.0%), while Luke Hunger chipped in with 12 rebounds and 12 points off the bench. Jean Aranguren, meanwhile, controlled the tempo of the game with 10 assists, 13 points, and six rebounds.
In stark contrast, St Mary Md struggled to find its footing against G Washington's stifling defense. Evan Quintero led the visitors in scoring with seven points on 1-of-3 three-point attempts, but his team was outrebounded by a significant margin (27-53). Kai Hyde provided some spark off the bench with seven points and three assists.
The advanced statistics told a similar story to the box score. G Washington shot an impressive 52.0% from the field, while St Mary Md managed just 25.0%. The home team also held a significant edge in rebounds (40-22) and turnover margin (19:28). Their true shooting percentage stood at 62.5%, compared to St Mary Md's 31.8%.
This victory marks G Washington's first win of the non-conference season, serving as a much-needed confidence boost for the squad. The performance serves as a testament to their hard work and dedication during the off-season.
In contrast, St Mary Md falls to 0-6 on the season, struggling to find its footing against power opponents. The loss marks their first outing in which they were held under 50 points.
The next step for G Washington is to build upon this momentum as they head into conference play. Can they replicate this performance against tougher competition?