Record-smashing No. 24 Saint Louis staying grounded for George Washington
No. 24 Saint Louis is shattering program records but wants to remain focused when it hosts George Washington in an Atlantic-10 matchup on Tuesday.
The Billikens (19-1, 7-0 Atlantic 10) equaled the best start in school history through 20 games with a 97-62 rout of host St. Bonaventure on Friday. Ishan Sharma set a career high with 29 points and tied the school record for made 3-pointers in a game when he shot 9 of 12 from beyond the arc.
It was the most points scored by a Saint Louis player this season. The Billikens' assault on their records continued as they connected on 19 of 33 3-point attempts to match the program mark for treys in a game set last season against Loyola Chicago.
Saint Louis shot 64.7% (22 of 34) from the field and 72.2% (13 of 18) from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes before finishing the game at 57.8% (37 of 64) from the floor, 57.6% (19 of 33) on 3-pointers.
Coach Josh Schertz won't let complacency take hold as the Billikens hunt their 14th straight win.
"My biggest job as a coach right now isn't the X's and O's; it's the mindset, the mentality," Schertz said. "I need to make sure we don't lose our edge. Make sure I am over the top when it comes to complacency -- any kind of relaxing -- because it's human nature at this point. You are battling the ability to decompress or play the score."
Senior center Robbie Avila shoots 46% from 3-point distance (37 of 79) and leads six Billikens that average in double-figure scoring at 12.7 points per game. He also is best at 4.0 assists per outing. Dion Brown is the top rebounder at a 6.1 clip.
George Washington (13-7, 4-3) cruised to an 85-69 wire-to-wire home win over Richmond on Saturday in Washington, D.C. Reserve guard Tre Dinkins led the Revolutionaries with 16 points. Christian Jones added 14, Garrett Johnson tallied 12 and Rafael Castro and Jean Aranguren each pitched in 11 points to round out five players in double figures.
Just like the Billikens, the Revolutionaries were on fire in the opening 20 minutes. They shot 55.9% from the field (19 of 34) and 52.6% from behind the arc (10 of 19) in taking a 52-32 lead into the locker room.
The keys, according to Dinkins, were for George Washington to limit second-chance scoring opportunities and push the ball in transition.
"Our ability to get a rebound and get out on the fast break helps our team," Dinkins said. "It helps everybody. It gets us going."
Castro, a senior center, averages 16.1 points per game to lead five players in double figures, and he's also the Revolutionaries leading rebounder (8.5 rpg).
George Washington coach Chris Caputo said the Revolutionaries have the physical tools to compete at the top of the Atlantic 10, but they have to dial in their mental approach.
"I think we need a consistent emotional approach to these games and we need to be physically disciplined," Caputo said. "Communication-wise, we should be in a good position almost every night. When we don't or haven't, I think it's more the mental intangible things than the physical things."