By: Alden Detmer and Peter Capote
The George Washington men’s basketball team (15-11) thrashed cross-town rival George Mason (21-5) Friday night in front of a raucous home crowd, 72-53.
Luke Hunger, a backup forward who tallied 31 points in the whole month of January, could not be contained by the visitors as he racked up a game-high and career-best 31 points. Hunger’s monster performance was clear from the stands and on paper as he went 3-for-3 from three, 8-for-9 from the free throw line, and 10-for-14 from the field.
“Honestly, I think [Hunger] shocked us getting going from three early,” George Mason’s Jahari Long said of Hunger. “It forced us to change our coverage. Early on, he was just hot, and he ended up having a really good game.”
Despite injuries and numerous close losses this season, the victory for the Revolutionaries served as a reminder of the team’s grit and capability to succeed.
“I thought our emotional commitment to physicality wasn’t what it needed to be earlier in the season,” GW men’s basketball coach Chris Caputo said. “But tonight, we were really there for the fight. Against driving teams like George Mason and Rhode Island, you have to load up physically. I told the guys you have to put your body on the line, not just your hands or arms. And I think we did that down the stretch.”
Luke Hunger in a post-game interview (Photo by Greg Fiume)
Following the opening tip, Hunger quickly emerged as a dominant force in the paint, easily finding his way to the basket every time. After picking up 12 points in the first 9 minutes, the Patriots switched their coverage of Hunger, opening up Jean Aranguren and Christian Jones to shoot.
“I think my confidence level has improved,” Aranguren said of his recent improvements on the court. “I was putting too much pressure on myself because we have such great players on this team. I was questioning my confidence, but slowly I’ve been buying into it more. The guys have helped my confidence too, telling me to stay aggressive and just play off my teammates.”
Despite Hunger’s performance, George Mason was only down two going into the halftime break.
“I’m just incredibly grateful for GW for taking me on and Coach Caputo for recruiting me. I mean, I just came here to, you know, play a role, win games, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day, and, you know, it happened to be my night tonight, but my teammates really put me in a place to be successful today, so to answer your question, no, but I’m incredibly grateful, and hopefully we get some chance to come back and realize it’s fun to come to these games.”
After the halftime break, the Revolutionaries opened up the tap with an 11-0 run with six minutes remaining.
“Honestly, I’m trying to find answers,” George Mason men’s basketball coach Tony Skinn said. “I thought our guys just kind of gave up with seven or eight minutes left. There might have been 10 or 11 points left, and we’ve fought back in games before. Also, giving up 34 points in the paint, that ain’t George Mason basketball.”
Ava with members of GW First Ladies (Photo by Greg Fiume)
The game was dubbed “DMV night” as 1999 A-10 Player of the Year Shawnta Rogers was honored with his jersey lifted into the rafters. In addition, the game was the centerpiece of 17-year-old Ava’s Dream Weekend.
“Ava didn’t start talking until much later than most kids due to her intellectual disability,” said Mara Salas, the Senior Program Director at Dream on 3. “Now you can see her interacting with all the kids, being out on the court during the game and rocking it. I think it’s a testament to her family and how much they support her, and to her own spirit. I’m blown away by her confidence and her spirit. She’s owning that energy.”
GW will head to VCU on Tuesday for its next A-10 conference battle.
