George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Notebook
2/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The George Washington men's basketball team has made a habit of not only getting to the free throw line this season, but also taking advantage of its opportunities.
In the 76-70 win at George Mason on Sunday, free throw shooting was perhaps more important than in any game this season as the Colonials shot just 32.8 percent from the field in a tight game that featured 10 lead changes and six ties.
Despite the struggles from the field, GW's aggressiveness yielded 36 trips to the line, of which the Colonials knocked down 30 (83.3 percent), and at one point GW knocked down 18 in a row to help seal the win.
Leading the way were Yuta Watanabe, who made a career-high 9-of-11, and Tyler Cavanaugh, who was a perfect 8-of-8. Kevin Larsen was also clutch down the stretch by making 4-of-4 in the final two minutes and 30 seconds, including two that put GW ahead for good.
Cavanaugh has led the effort for a team which is now seventh nationally in free throw percentage at .765. The junior forward is shooting .865 (96-111) from the line this season and is on pace to become the first Colonial to shoot above 80 percent at the charity stripe since Damian Hollis did it in 2009-10 (.839).
If Cavanaugh maintains his current percentage, it would rank among the top single-season performances in school history. Since 1953, just six Colonials have shot above 85 percent in a season, with Shawnta Rogers doing it twice:
Brian Magid, 1979-80 (.929)
Mark Clark, 1964-65 (.887)
Shawnta Rogers, 1996-97 (.877)
Bob Dennis, 1967-68 (.877)
Bob Tallent, 1968-69 (.876)
Shawnta Rogers, 1998-99 (.868)
Wilbert Skipper, 1981-82 (.859)
In addition to Cavanaugh, three more GW starters are above 70 percent for the season in Watanabe (.734), McDonald (.729) and Larsen (.712), while the bench has been effective as well. Alex Mitola (29-32, .906) and Matt Hart (18-20, .900) have taken advantage of limited opportunities at the line, while Paul Jorgensen is shooting .767 (33-43).
Note: the NCAA minimum to be considered a statistical leader for free throws is 5 made per game, which is why Mitola and Hart aren't considered to lead the team in free throw percentage.
Quotable
"They made a run and we responded. We have experience and good senior leadership. We made the plays down the stretch."
- Cavanaugh on GW's response after George Mason briefly took the lead late in Sunday's game
In the news
Washington Post
Late-game poise the difference as George Washington edges George Mason
CSN Washington
Lonergan pushes for urgency following win over George Mason
GW Hatchet
Colonials fend off George Mason on the road
