Maryland had their hands full from the get go. Personally, I thought GW would hang around for a bit, but then Maryland would pull away with their size and depth. It looked like that was beginning to happen until James Bishop’s jumpers finally started falling. Maryland almost blew a late twelve point lead in the final five minutes. GW got as close as 66-64, until Maryland finally won 71-64. Hats off to GW they played very well. Maryland still has to figure out how all of their pieces fit.
Ricky Lindo Jr. came back to College Park on a mission. The senior played extremely well. He showed his skills more consistently throughout the game than when he was a terp. Lindo can do a little bit of everything. Has a decent handle, good length, versatile defender and has been developing his three point shot as well. Lindo finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and shot 3-5 from three. If he didn’t get into foul trouble who knows how this game could’ve went. Connecticut transfer Brendan Adams also had a solid game. He started fast and eventually tapered off to let Joe Bamisile carry the load. Adams was super tough driving the lane. He takes contact well and plays tough defense. He finished with 14 points and four rebounds.
The star of the night was Joe Bamisile. Bamisile was fun to watch. Honestly, I haven’t seen many guys go at the crowd like he did. If it we’re packed in the stands (which once again it was no where near it) The booing and “Joe you suck” chants would’ve been deafening. Bamisile delivered though. Hitting jumpers free throws and lay ins. All while egging the crowd on. He also had a nice windmill dunk on a breakaway. The Virginia Tech transfer finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. James Bishop struggled shooting big time. Fatts Russell did a nice job annoying him and forcing him to take very tough jumpers. He had a late flurry of baskets and finished with 13 points on 5-16 from the field and 0-5 from three.
This is a game where Maryland should’ve dominanted by even more in the paint. Qudus Wahab was having his way in the first half, but I guess the terps forgot that. He only played 24 minutes and just didn’t seem to get the ball enough. With that said he finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Feed the big man.
Fatts Russell had a solid night, and helped pick up the slack for the poor outside shooting. Maryland was 3-20 from three. Ayala was 0-6. This was probably an anomaly shooting wise, but time will tell. Russell may be one of the fastest and quickest players I’ve seen on the court with the ball. He has a knack for making tough layups and draws fouls with ease. On defense he was solid again. Shutting Bishop down for majority of the game. Russell finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Donta Scott never really seemed to get in the flow of the game. Lindo did a solid job on him, but he still had seven points and ten boards.
Hakim Hart is a glue guy. Doesn’t do anything to hurt the team, but does a lot of little things that add up. He makes correct passes, plays tough defense and can score an occasional bucket if need be. Hart finished with nine points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.
The Colonials are going to be a lot better than people think. They have solid guards. The big problem will be lack of depth and size.
Up next for me is Game 3 of 37 Vermont @ Maryland on Saturday.
The Young Veteran 