Against La Salle, junior guard scores career-high 28 points
Washington’s new mayor, and George Washington alum, Vincent Gray, was introduced in the first half Wednesday night at Smith Center. But in the second half, it was Tony Taylor who ruled.
The junior guard scored a career-high 28 points and made all the clutch plays down the stretch, propelling GW to a 72-67 victory over La Salle in the Atlantic-10 opener for both teams before 1,003.
The 6-foot-1 Taylor scored nine of his points in the final 5 minutes, 13 seconds. He hit 9 of 16 shots from the floor, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed five rebounds and sealed the fate of La Salle when he stripped Tyreek Duren, as the Explorers’ guard streaked to the hoop in the closing seconds.
“Coach [Karl] Hobbs trusts me a lot. He put the ball in my hands and my teammates were there for me,” said Taylor. “He told me to just take over.”
GW (8-6, 1-0) also got help from sophomore forward David Pellom (12 points) and senior center Joseph Katuka (10 points, 10 rebounds). The 6-11 Katuka, a 51 percent free-throw shooter, hit two key foul shots with 12 seconds left, giving GW a 71-67 lead.
The game, however, belonged to Taylor. He gave GW the lead for good, 61-59, with a daring drive to the lane. Later, as the shot clock was winding down, he forced a 22-footer from the top of the key, swishing it. In the final 85 seconds, Taylor controlled the ball, drew fouls, and hit four of six free throws.
“Taylor had a great game, made great shots,” said La Salle coach John Giannini. “But we didn’t defend the ball screen, anything like we normally do. Why? It’s really a struggle to answer.”
La Salle (7-8, 0-1) was led by junior guard Earl Pettis (21 points) who hit 5 of 9 shots from beyond the arc. On the inside, the Explorers’ top two scorers, Aaric Murray (16 points) and Jerrell Williams (10 points, 11 rebounds) excelled, but were underutilized. Murray took only eight shots, while Williams fouled out.
“We were an unfocused, very frustrated team tonight,” said Giannini. “No coach is ever pleased with that. It’s always hard to explain.”
Some credit, however, goes to GW, which out-rebounded La Salle, 44-35. All the Colonials attacked the boards including sophomore guard Bryan Bynes (7 points, 8 rebounds) and junior guard Aaron Ware (6 points, 5 rebounds).
“Our No. 1 key going into the game was to keep Williams and Murray off the backboard,” said Hobbs. “Particularly Williams, he’s the best in the league at offensive rebounds. He plays with a great deal of intensity. He plays hard on every, every possession.”
After a pre-game pep-talk from Gray, a 1964 graduate of GW, the Colonials rolled to an 11-2 lead as all five starters scored. But midway through the half, La Salle went on a 15-0 run to take its biggest lead, 32-24.
“The mayor put a little pressure on us in the locker room,” said Hobbs. “It was a game of runs. We went on our run and they went on their run.”
It’s also been a season of runs for the Colonials, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games on the heels of a four-game skid.
“It’s been a real season of adjustments,” said Hobbs. “Five or six days before our first game Lasan [Kromah] goes down and he’s out for the year, so we have to make an adjustment for that. Then three games in, guy falls on Jabari [Edwards]’s leg, now he’s out.”
Note » Hobbs also revealed the recent death of freshman guard Dan Guest’s mother. The funeral was Tuesday. “That was more of an emotional adjustment, because of the closeness of these guys,” said Hobbs. “Some of these guys really got to know his mom fairly well.” Guest, a reserve, played Sunday, in a win at Howard, and Wednesday night.
