Feb. 8, 2006

 

 

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Danilo Pinnock scored 21 points and put on a one-man dunking exhibition in the second half, leading No. 8 George Washington to an 81-67 victory over Dayton on Wednesday night.

The Colonials opened with a 14-3 run, got 20 points from Pops Mensah-Bonsu and 3-pointers from six different players in their 11th straight win.

George Washington improved to 19-1, matching the 1953-54 team for the best 20-game start in school history. The Colonials also improved to 9-0 in the Atlantic 10, maintaining a commanding lead in a league in which no other team has fewer than three losses.

Freshman Charles Little, making his first career start, scored 13 points to lead Dayton (11-13, 3-7). The Flyers, who fell to 1-7 on the road, were outrebounded 38-27 and never recovered after missing eight of their first 11 shots. Brian Roberts hit a jumper to cut the lead to eight late in the first half, but that was the last time the deficit was under double digits. UD was outscored 13-2 in the last four minutes of the half, including five second-chance points.

Pinnock made seven of 12 shots and had six rebounds and four steals, but his highlights came after the game was well out of reach. He sailed well above the rim to slam home an alley-oop pass from Montrell McDonald on a fast break with 10 1/2 minutes remaining, then raised the Smith Center roof when he finished a solo breakaway by tossing himself a pass and catching it at the rim for a two-handed dunk.

Mensah-Bonsu made eight of 12 shots, including a layup after a dynamic reverse spin move in the paint that gave the Colonials a 13-point lead late in the first half. Mensah-Bonsu ended the half with a dunk off of an offensive rebound, putting George Washington ahead 49-30 at the break, and fans serenaded the senior center by chanting "You can't stop him" in the second half.

When Mensah-Bonsu wasn't getting room inside against the Dayton zone, George Washington compensated by making 10 of 26 3-pointers. The Colonials had 3-pointers from four different players to account for all of the team's points during a 4 1/2-minute stretch in the first half.

The Colonials improved to 12-0 at the Smith Center, where they've beaten every opponent except Saint Louis by at least 11 points.

Roberts added 11 points and freshman Desmond Adedeji added 10 off the bench for UD. Senior point guard Warren Williams had 10 assists against just one turnover.

Dayton returns home Saturday, when the Saint Louis Billikens visit UD Arena. Game time is 4:00 p.m. EST.