Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton
By: Katie Yancey
In the first ever matchup between the Revolutionaries and the Highlanders, GW star forward Darren Buchanan Jr. led the charge once again with 20 points for GW as the Revolutionaries defeated NJIT, 84-64, Monday night in the Charles E. Smith Center.
The game followed the annual Miracle on 22nd Street Tailgate presented by Northwest Federal Credit Union, leading to a great turnout and high energy from George’s Army for the 7 p.m. tipoff.
Buchanan Jr. has been an integral part of GW’s early success, securing three consecutive double doubles, one in each contest, coming into Monday night. Buchanan bagged the first points of the night and kicked off GW’s 7-0 run to start the first half, which left the Islanders scoreless for the first two minutes until Tim Moore stepped up to the line and sunk two to put NJIT on the board.
Moore represents one of just two non-underclassmen playing for the Highlanders, as aside from himself and fellow graduate student Triston Wennersten, the squad is entirely composed of freshmen and sophomores, making them the second youngest program in the nation.
The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the first portion of the first half, with NJIT closing the gap to 10-12 around the five-minute mark and officially taking over the lead (14-13) with just over 11 minutes to go from a tip-in by Levi Lawal.
Both teams remained scoreless between the 6th and 8th minutes, and a stalemate ensued with a 24-24 tie late into the first half. Castro took two trips to the line to regain the lead for GW, putting the score at 27-24 with five minutes to play before half. The redshirt junior from Providence posted 16 points and led both teams in rebounds with nine.
Gerald Drumgoole Jr. came up big late in the period, hitting a major three from the logo to create a double-digit lead for the second time in the game with just a minute left to play.
Although GW struggled from beyond the arc shooting just 25% from 3 in the first half, Drumgoole remains confident in himself and his teammates.
“I know what I’m capable of, the team knows what I’m capable of,” the graduate student assured when asked about his offensive mindset.
Drumgoole stressed how important it is for the team to “just keep shooting the ball”, and that they did. GW came out for the second half with a solidified lead at 44-34, and both teams sent their starting 5 out to battle once again.
The Revolutionaries defended their home court by maintaining their lead throughout the last 20 minutes, denying the Highlanders any opportunity to close the gap by more than six points, and extending their lead to 23 at its highest.
Sophomore Trey Autry, who tied with Drumgoole Jr. with the third most points for GW with 12 points, played an entire possession without his right shoe after a missed slam dunk attempt sent it flying off the court.
NJIT was ultimately held scoreless between 11:01 and 4:01 to go, with the 7-minute streak almost being broken by a three from Sebastian Robinson that violated the shot clock.
Coach Caputo attributed the defensive feat to playing more aggressively when working against NJIT’s Tariq Francis, who came just short of a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
The huge defensive run no doubt played a key role in GW’s victory tonight, with Caputo admitting “that stretch was obviously the game.”
After 40 minutes the Revolutionaries came out 20 points ahead of the Islanders with a final score of 84-64.
Caputo and his team, now 4-0 to start for the second consecutive year, will leave the Smith Center for the first time this season to participate in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament this weekend. They will take on three opponents in just four days and will have to search for depth from their bench during the challenge, especially considering the unlikely clearance of key sophomore guard Jacoi Hutchinson, who missed Monday’s game due to an ankle injury.
The Revs will tip off against Kansas State this Friday, November 22nd at 8 p.m. EST, and the game will be live-streamed on ESPN+. WRGW Sports will also have live blog coverage as well; stay tuned.
