Trust the Process

GW starting five take the court before the George Mason game

1/16/2020 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Colonials showcased continued development in first A-10 win

By: Eric Detweiler, GW Athletics Communications

Well before GW men's basketball scored a 73-67 win over Revolutionary Rival George Mason, head coach Jamion Christian had a good feeling about Wednesday night.

Before 3,089 fans filled Smith Center hoping to see the Buff and Blue earn their first Atlantic 10 win of the season and help set a World Record for most tricorn hats in one building.

Before the Colonials put together an extremely efficient offense performance that featured 49 percent shooting from the floor, including an 8-of-17 effort from long range.

Before they locked down the Patriots by racking up eight turkeys on the defensive end with the final run of back-to-back-to-back stops in the last three minutes to clinch the victory.

Before all that, back-to-back quality practices to start the week told Christian that his young squad was in the right mindset to take the next step forward.

"We're just so excited about what we were able to do today," Christian said while sporting his own tricorn hat and a wide smile at his postgame press conference. "Just a great growth mindset by our team all week in our preparation. I thought our enthusiasm was really overwhelming through the course of the game, and I thought that was really the difference today."

While Christian preaches process over results in his program, GW seemed primed for a breakthrough into the A-10 win column after battling three of the league's top clubs in narrow defeats to start their conference slate.

The Colonials made it happen with their most complete effort of the season. They led for more than 30 minutes in front of their home crowd and never let George Mason get closer than four points after halftime.

Armel Potter led an impressive closing kick to snuff out any thought of a Patriots' comeback, scoring 13 of his season-high 26 points over the final 6:34.

That finish was a clear sign of progress for a squad that had three rookies on the floor for much of the night. First-year Chase Paar came up with a couple of key defensive rebounds late, while classmates Jamison Battle, Jameer Nelson, Jr. and Shawn Walker, Jr. also did their parts in crunch time.

"I just make sure I continue to preach to the younger guys in the locker room how hard it is to win," said Potter, who is averaging 15.3 points and 7.0 assists in A-10 play. "We have to pay attention to all the little details, and I feel like we did that second half today, and it helped us close out the game."

Making it all the more impressive, GW found a way without its full lineup.

Rotation staples Amir Harris and Arnaldo Toro were sidelined by injury Tuesday, and Justin Williams and Javier Langarica remain on the mend.

In Toro's absence, Paar showcased his continued development, playing a career-high 29 minutes and posting seven points and nine boards.

Mezie Offurum stepped up in his most extensive action in weeks. The sophomore forward provided a spark early in the second half when he ran off all seven of his points in a 2:26 span, and he also blocked two shots and grabbed a key offensive rebound in the closing stretch that set up a Potter bucket.

Walker made his debut in A-10 play and produced six points over 14 minutes with a first-half 3-pointer and a second-half layup through contact to add three more. His perimeter defense made a difference down the stretch for the Colonials, as well.

"I thought that push by those guys today lifted our team more than their points or their rebounds," Christian said. "Because they just were ready for the opportunity, and they earned that well before tonight. They earned that the last few weeks with how hard they've been working."

Thanks to those across-the-board contributions, the Colonials were able to follow Christian's preferred blueprint for success.

All of their points came either in the paint, from 3-point range or at the foul line, and a gritty defensive showing limited the Patriots to 38 percent shooting with a game plan built on curbing outside opportunities and forcing the visitors to earn their points inside the arc.

"I think we're really fully buying in as a collective unit to his message, and I think we're really putting it into action," junior guard Maceo Jack said. "Right now, we're doing a great job with that, and I think we've just got to keep building on that because we're really trying to figure out something special moving forward."

That attitude starts in practice, and more high-energy workouts like the ones leading up to Wednesday's contest will go a long way towards the group's continued success.

With the recent work they've put in behind the scenes, Christian believes his Colonials are on the right track.

"That just means they're really taking the message that we're trying to send home," Christian said. "It's just like 'Let's not worry about the results, man. Let's keep worrying about getting better and keep improving.' I thought our team just embodied that the last couple of days and that carried over for us today."