Hollis hot in first half

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a four-game stretch in which he averaged only eight points a game, senior Damian Hollis wasted no time snapping out of his slump in GW’s 72-68 loss at Charlotte Wednesday.

Of his team-leading 23 points, 13 came in the first three and a half minutes and 16 came in the first half. Hollis didn’t score in the second half until the game’s final six minutes.

The game repeated a scoring pattern that seemed to develop before Hollis’ slump. When Hollis scored 23 points against Xavier Jan. 10, 17 of them came in the first half. In a loss at La Salle three days later, 15 of his 17 points came before halftime.

“I guess it’s kind of how things are coming to me right now,” Hollis said of the pattern. “I have time to grow, and I think I will as time goes on.”

A look ahead in A-10

A return to the conference tournament after a two-year absence remains far from clinched for the GW men’s basketball team, but after the team’s loss at Charlotte Wednesday, the team will at least face a somewhat lighter schedule within the A-10.

The Colonials’ (12-9, 2-6 Atlantic 10) next three opponents – Duquesne, Fordham and Massachusetts – have a combined conference record of 4-20, with Duquesne and UMass having two A-10 wins apiece and Fordham having none.

GW will host Duquesne Saturday and UMass Feb. 17, with a trip in between to play Fordham Feb. 13.

After this stretch, the Colonials will host three of their final five games, including chances to avenge losses against La Salle – which beat GW by one point in Philadelphia Jan. 13 – and Charlotte. GW’s final home game will be against Saint Joseph’s March 3. The Hawks are currently 2-6 in the A-10 and 8-14 overall.

The Colonials will end the season at No. 19/17 Temple (AP, ESPN/USA Today) March 6.