“This building gets loud” has been the story of GW basketball this season. After a poor start in non-conference play in 2021-2022, losing to teams like UMass-Lowell, GW looks to be in much better shape following a 85-75 victory over Howard on Friday night.
GW faced a true test with cross town rival Howard at the Smith Center. For the first time since before the pandemic, the Smith Center had over two thousand people in attendance, finishing the night with 2,363 people in the crowd. The energy was noted by the players as senior forward Ricky Lindo showered George’s Army with praise in the post game press conference. Following the game, the team ran past the scorers table to shake the hands of George’s Army, a true testament to how important they have been for the team. Head coach Chris Caputo continued about George’s Army, “I am almost speechless with how the students have been so far.”
The reason for the fan engagement has been that the team has given the fans something to cheer about. Starting at the opening tip, GW and Howard were locked in a high pace, high intensity game. To start, GW was porous on the defensive end as they let up seven open layups down low. In the post game press conference, Caputo spoke about the game strategy. Caputo spoke about wanting to take out sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins, Howard’s most impactful player, from the start. This led to many double teams which “did not impact the ball and the ball got out very fast. We tried to make other guys playmakers outside of Hawkins.” The Buff and Blue were successful in their quest to remove Hawkins from the main game plan as he finished with nine points on only 2-9 shooting.
Truly, this was a game of runs and GW could not seem to put Howard away. After going up 10 points in the first half, Howard came roaring back on an 11-0 run and took the lead following a three pointer from junior forward James Wood. After relinquishing the lead in the middle of the first half, GW wouldn’t trail again, holding it for 32:48 of game time. The first half was sloppy, as GW had eight turnovers going into half, but several players stepped up. Lindo stuffed the statsheet in almost every category but fouls and turnovers, finishing with a game high 19 points to go along with nine rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal. Lindo had the sequence of the game in the second half when he denied a dunk attempt from Wood, was fed the ball on a pick and roll from redshirt freshman guard Max Edwards on the other end of the floor and stuffed it home. The roof of the Smith Center almost blew off.
After going into the half leading 36-32, GW needed more contributors to step up. Edwards provided a spark, finishing with 18 points on the night along with eight rebounds and four assists. The Kansas State transfer highlighted his night with an impressive spinning layup to put GW up 14 points with 8:30 remaining. To go with Edwards, senior forward Hunter Dean had one of the best games of his career. Dean finished with a team high +23, with 14 points (4-4 FT), nine boards and great defense. Caputo noted his importance when looking to break the matchup zone Howard was running. If Dean can become a consistent contributor, that will open up a lot for the GW offense.
GW fans were in for a major scare when star senior guard James Bishop went down after being rejected on a layup attempt. He stayed on the ground as Howard was able to take advantage of the 5v4. Bishop was able to return to the game as Coach Caputo sarcastically stated that he “almost resigned when Bishop went down.” Bishop was able to play the remainder of the game after suffering from cramps.
While GW did not have to rely on Bishop tonight, as he only had four points going into half, he still finished with 11 points to go along with five assists. Bishop’s partner in the backcourt Brendan Adams did not have the same game offensively as he did against Virginia State, but was still effective on the court.
This team seems to have a special chemistry, made evident by Lindo. He spoke about the brotherhood of the team, saying “we are brothers. If one of us calls another, we will pick up and be there for them.” The chemistry on this team is special, and it could be one of the main sticking points in continuing to attract recruits to Foggy Bottom. The Smith Center is best when Coach Caputo can say “this building gets loud.”
GW has a tough matchup on Monday against 2-0 Hofstra in Hempstead, NY. Tip is set for 7 PM and the game will be broadcasted on FloHoops and WRGW as the Buff & Blue look to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
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