The win kept the Colonials (12-2) perfect in the Smith Center this season, while the Bulldogs' (6-6) road woes continued - they're 0-5 at away/neutral sites this season.
Kethan Savage paced the Colonials with 18 points, six rebounds and three steals. Maurice Creek added 15 points and four assists for George Washington. Their play was complemented by Patricio Garino, who added a complete performance on both sides of the ball with 12 points and six rebounds.
After scoring eight early in the first half, Georgia leading scorer Charles Mann was held largely silent throughout play. He exited the game shooting 3-11 with 11 total points. Cameron Forte paced the Bulldogs with 14 points off the bench
The game began with a stagnant first half, both teams showing signs of the slow offense that doomed them in their respective prior losses.
Using an 8-2 run toward the end of the half, George Washington pulled away slightly from Georgia. But the Colonials struggled to connect from three-point range, missing wide-open opportunities en route to 0-8 shooting on the half.
Nearly matching each other in shooting percentage, the slowed offense forced George Washington and Georgia to concentrate on small ball game as long shots consistently clanked off the rim.
The Colonials entered the halftime break with a narrow five-point lead despite poor three-point production and just two bench points.
The Colonials showed more offensive firepower out of the break, using another 8-2 opening run to gain some breathing room. Their first three-pointer of the game came off a Creek dish to Joe McDonald.
George Washington pushed the lead to double digits at the 16:15 mark of the second half, and Georgia never recovered and the Colonials lead grew to as many as 21 points.
Outpacing Georgia in points in the paint, the Colonials also enjoyed a rebounding advantage, 36-30.
Further frustrating the Georgia offense was its inability to maintain ball control - 20 total turnovers turned into 16 George Washington points.
George Washington enters A-10 play at La Salle January 9, while Georgia takes on its first SEC opponent at Missouri January 8.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/1/269490