Three Days of DC: Fighting Foggy Bottoms (Free)

Marcus “Mook” Washington will spend the next three days covering the Washington Wizards, George Washington Colonials and Georgetown Hoyas.

Day two and I’ve made my way to Foggy Bottom for George Washington and LaSalle.

The late afternoon tip has helped me get plenty of rest after a late-night Capital One Arena.

Off the top… my favorite photographer is here, and my son and I are full of Domino’s pizza.

The Colonials are on a two-game winning streak with both wins coming in overtime. Heck, their last four wins have all come in overtime.

If you don’t know anything about George Washington, just know that James Bishop is a walking heat-check. Brendan Adams can take over a game and Kansas State transfer, and Maximus Edwards could be the best of three by the time he leaves campus.

It’s an important game for the Colonials. They are tied for six in the Atlantic 10. They have a realistic chance to finish fifth in the conference.

LaSalle won the earlier matchup 75-64. It was part of the five-game winning streak for the Explorers. The last two games haven’t been as kind. After losing a close one to George Mason, LaSalle got blown out by Duquense.

So with that, let’s get this baby tipped off!

The Colonials have started off the way the like to with Bishop hitting a circus shot while being fouled.

The offense as a whole is cranking. Hunter Dean has gotten a couple of easy baskets. The ball is moving and that has contributed to their 66.7% shooting percentage early on.

Unfortunately, on the defensive end, George Washington hasn’t been able to rebound. LaSalle is shooting 30% but they’ve grabbed a staggering 10 offensive rebounds by the under-12 timeout.

Score Update: George Washington 16 LaSalle 16

Bishop hits a three and then a couple of possessions later he hit a left-handed floater over two Explorers. I’m telling you, I don’t know if he even saw the basket.

Before I can finish the previous two sentences, Bishop hits another three-pointer. He has 14 points already and this game could end up with higher score than the first game.

We are at the under-8 and this game is going lightning fast.

Score Update: George Washington 30 LaSalle 29

LaSalle comes out of the timeout in a zone. I probably would’ve done the same thing. With the Colonials’ offense clicking, a different look was in order.

By the way, LaSalle has scored five in a row and they have taken the lead. We are a long way from the Explorers’ offense shooting 30%. They are currently at 41.9% as George Washington’s defense has become about as optional as a signal light on the beltway.

There used to be a game that a couple of us used to play that was based on whether Bishop would have 20+ today.

At the under-4, Bishop is 7-10 from the field and has scored 19 points.

If you can look past the occasional catastrophic missed defensive assignments, this has been an entertaining half. The shot selection has been fairly solid, as solid as it can be with Bishop on the floor. Both teams are playing hard.

Halftime: George Washington 40 LaSalle 42

The most bizarre stat is LaSalle’s 16 offensive rebounds in the first half. That will cover up a 38% field goal shooting half.

Bishop has 19 at the half but Adams and Edwards have combined for only nine field goal attempts in the first half.

Bishop starts the second half the way he started the game… scoring.

If there’s one thing that has shocked me is how impactful Dean has been on the offensive end. It’s one thing if it’s Josh Oduro, it’s another if it’s Hunter Dean.

Dean’s three-point play has given George Washington the lead back.

Score Update: George Washington 54 LaSalle 51

Colonials are on a 6-0 run and all six points have come on layups.

The run has expanded out to 10-1 and the Explorers are in a little bit of danger. Ricky Lindo Jr’s layup puts the Colonials up 10.

LaSalle has gone through stretches where it’s been hard for them to score in part because they haven’t gotten the offensive rebounds they got in the first half.

It’s a 14-3 run by George Washington with the last two baskets coming from Edwards and then Adams.

Explorers are in deep water right now.

LaSalle finally makes a field goal. How long had it been? Jhamir Brickus made a three-pointer at the 16:08 mark. The Explorers didn’t make another field goal until Brickus made a layup with 8:31 left.

Score Update: George Washington 73 LaSalle 58

This game has turned into a blowout. Lindo Jr’s dunk puts the Colonials up 81-61.

The game changed when LaSalle was no longer able to have multi-chance possessions. Their misses turned into the first past for George Washington’s fast breaks.

Looked in my media bag and I can’t find the mints that I now realize are sitting on my nightstand at home.

That Domino’s garlic crust has my breath humming like a barbershop quartet.

Even though LaSalle made some window dressing threes, the Colonials officially put this one away.

Dean finishes with a career-high 21 points.

Final Score: George Washington 92 LaSalle 85

Postgame: