George Washington moved to 2-0 in the Atlantic 10 with a 77-55 win over LaSalle.
The Revolutionaries (11-4) were led by Rafael Castro’s 26 points and 14 rebounds. Trey Autry made three three-pointers on his way to 17 points.
LaSalle (4-11, 0-2) used a 12-7 run at the end of the half to pull to within five points at halftime. The Explorers took a 46-45 lead with 13:02 left in the second half.
Christian Jones’ three-pointer gave the Revolutionaries a 48-46 lead, and they never trailed again.
George Washington finished the game on a 20-5 run.
Takeaways
Castro Continues to Dominate
After scoring a career-high 27 points against Richmond, Castro followed it up with a dominating 26 and 14 performance. One of the biggest differences in this season’s team is the offensive refinement in Castro’s game. His ability to score when the ball is thrown into him, along with the offensive rebound stickbacks, has made him one of the most impactful paint players in the Atlantic 10.
Today was his third double-digit rebounds game. Out of his 14 rebounds, nine were offensive, which helped the Revolutionaries fight off a feisty Explorers team.
Three-Point Shooting
Castro’s ability to control the paint allowed the perimeter shooters to have quality looks, and they took advantage of it. The beauty of today’s 9-26 three-point shooting performance was the balance. The Revolutionaries were 5-16 in the first half and, as they started taking over in the second half, they were 4-10.
Trey Dinkins was 2-7, but Trey Autry (4-7) and Christian Jones (2-3) more than made up for it. George Washington has several players who can make three-pointers, it’s getting quality looks in their actions and finding balance with scoring in the paint that will carry this team against the better Atlantic 10 opponents.
Defense
In the last 11:26, LaSalle went 2-13 from the field with two turnovers. On most nights, that type of defense will give the Revolutionaries a good chance to win.
In the second half, the Explorers shot just 33.3%, went 0-for-5 from three, and were outrebounded 23-10.
The second half literally looked like a practice plan being executed on the floor.
That’s the type of defense that is needed to beat the VCUs, George Masons, and Daytons of the world.
