Colonials Put Up ‘Old GW Stats,' Stomp St. Bonaventure, 90-62

Too often this season, George Washington Coach Karl Hobbs has watched his team come up short. The Colonials have found ways to lose, rather than finding ways to win, and those setbacks have worn on the team.

Which is why last night's 90-62 victory over St. Bonaventure, a team GW is chasing in the standings, was so satisfying. It wasn't just because it was the Colonials' second victory in their last 15 games, or because it was their first 90-point scoring output since they beat Dartmouth, 94-49, on Nov. 14, 2006. Hobbs was pleased that his players were finally rewarded for their efforts.

"There are times when you play hard, you do all the right things, and you feel you are deserving of a win, and it don't necessarily come," Hobbs said. "The thing that I'm most happy about for these guys is that they were deserving of a win and they got it tonight."

Five players scored in double figures for GW (8-15, 2-9 Atlantic 10), led by Rob Diggs, who finished with 26 points, three points shy of his career best.

St. Bonaventure (13-12, 4-8) has been one of the best road teams in the conference, going 7-4 on opponents' home courts. But last night, the Bonnies stood no chance of ending their losing streak at Smith Center, which now stands at 14 games.

GW's offense, which had been dormant against in its previous game at Charlotte, surged to life against St. Bonaventure. On Saturday, the Colonials struggled to score 17 points in the first half. Last night, GW had 17 points in the first five minutes.

"We took good shots," Hobbs said. "There weren't any rushed shots. I thought we were comfortable. I thought we got off to such a great start. I think that was the key: Those early shots went in."

The Bonnies seemed helpless to stop the Colonials, who, under Hobbs, have never scored less than 80 points against them. When GW wasn't beating the St. Bonaventure defense back down the court for quick layups and dunks, the Colonials were sinking three-point shots. GW opened the game making 12 of its first 16 shots, including 4 of 5 from three-point range.

The Colonials' first-half statistics were staggering. They made more than 70 percent of their shots overall and 86 percent of their three-point shots. They had assists on 15 of their 19 field goals. Eight of the nine players who were on the court for GW in the first half scored. GW's 47 points were the most St. Bonaventure has allowed in a half this season.

"Those are the old GW stats," Hobbs said.

Diggs led the onslaught. After a quiet six points at Charlotte, he scored 10 points in the first four minutes and had 17 by halftime. It wasn't just that Diggs scored -- he made his first five field goals -- it was how he was scoring. The rangy senior has always been more of a slasher than a shooter. But recently he has added a three-point shot to his repertoire.

Diggs sank a three-pointer to open the game, then made another less than about 90 seconds later. He had made only four three-pointers this season and six in his career.

"I worked on it a lot this summer," Diggs said of his three-point shooting. "As long as you're playing under Coach Hobbs, you can take the shots as long as you make them."

Joseph Katuka also was impressive. The sophomore center matched his personal best, scoring 13 points in 16 minutes.