By Zach Gindi-Chiafullo
The George Washington Revolutionaries (2-0) kept their hot start going at home with a win over the Hampton Pirates (0-2), 75-61 Saturday night.
After a historic blowout win against Navy on Monday night, GW hoped to build on that momentum and establish their new team identity. In a game filled with fast, aggressive play on both sides of the ball, the Revolutionaries did exactly that.
The first half was largely controlled by GW, which outscored the Pirates 41-27 and held the edge in nearly every major statistic. In the second half, Hampton did its best to battle back and kept cutting into the lead, scoring the same number of points as GW, but they could not overcome their first half deficit.
Even so, Head Coach Chris Caputo was not satisfied, saying the victory was not perfect, and that the team showed some uncharacteristic stretches during the game. “That was a little bit of an uneven game for us,” Caputo said. “We just couldn’t extend the lead. We got to 20, but couldn’t get them past there.”
However, one player, Dylan James, was perfect on the stat sheet for the Revolutionaries. The senior forward went 6-for-6 on field goal attempts and was perfect from the charity stripe. He amassed 15 points and nine rebounds in the contest. “I thought he was excellent. I know Dylan [James]’s presence was a real factor for us, and on the glass as well. Really good night for him,” Caputo said.
When James reflected on his outstanding performance, he said he comes on the court with a mindset of playing hard and physically. “That’s just part of my identity,” he said.
Like James, most of the team is made up of young freshmen and transfer students, putting a lot of new faces in the spotlight of GW Men’s Basketball. That has given Jean Aranguren, one of the few returners, a chance to step into a new veteran leadership role for the newcomers.
This game was no exception, as he led the team with 17 points and was a key driving force behind GW’s potent offense, which energized the Smith Center crowd. “I’ve just been learning,” Aranguren said while adjusting to the leading role. “Being with open ears, there’s something that you don’t see that your teammates could tell you.”
Standing at 6’3’’, Aranguren spent most of the night defending 5’5’’ Hampton freshman guard Nehemiah Lawrence, the Pirates’ primary ball handler. While Lawrence showed quick speed on his drives—finding teammates Max Frazier and Aaron Davis III for 10 and 9 points, respectively—it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
Off the bench, guard Sam Hubbard led the Pirates with 14 points. In the end, the GW defense’s waves were simply too high, leaving the Pirates unable to sail into the Potomac River and earn their first win.
GW’s victory was further cemented by strong production from its bench. Sophomore forward Ryder Frost gave the team a quick spark with nine points in 17 minutes, while junior guard Felix Kossaras finished with a well-rounded eight points and seven rebounds.
The Revolutionaries will look to keep their undefeated season alive at the Smith Center when they take on the Elon Phoenix on Tuesday at 7:00 pm.
