Men’s basketball (11-4, 2-0 Atlantic 10) secured a commanding 77-55 victory over La Salle (4-11, 0-2) in the Smith Center on Saturday, starting their conference slate 2-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
After trailing by one point midway through the second half, the Revs erupted with a 32-9 run to put away the Explorers decisively. Senior forward Rafael Castro, who scored a career-best 27 points in Wednesday’s conference opener, followed up with an impressive 26 points and 14 rebounds. Castro was well supported by junior guard Trey Autry, who contributed 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Defensively, the Revs made significant strides. After struggling earlier in the season, they held La Salle to just 38% shooting from the field—their lowest mark allowed against a Division I opponent since the Nov. 20 win over University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Trey Autry ignited the action for GW with an early 3-pointer, quickly responding to a La Salle triple. He added a second 3-pointer just four minutes later, helping to build a 14-9 GW lead. By the eight-minute mark of the first half, the Revs extended their advantage to double digits, fueled by five early 3-pointers. A timely tip-in from redshirt junior forward Garrett Johnson, returning from injury after missing two games, sent the Revs into halftime with a 36-31 lead.
The second half began slowly for GW as La Salle went on a 9-0 run, taking the lead following a turnover by graduate student guard Tre Dinkins with 13:02 remaining. However, redshirt sophomore guard Christian Jones answered with a 3-pointer that sparked a 7-0 GW run to recapture the lead. After two free throws from La Salle, GW continued their offensive surge, stretching the lead to double digits following two free throws by Castro with 6:45 left.
La Salle struggled to regain momentum during the Revs’ dominant run, scoring only four points in the final seven minutes. GW closed out the game on an 18-14 scoring run, securing their emphatic win.
The contrasting tempos between the teams played a notable role in the game. La Salle operates at the second slowest pace in the Atlantic 10, while GW ranks third fastest. This speed disparity has previously challenged the Revs, most notably in a loss to the University of Delaware, which ranks outside the top 330 in Division I tempo.
Despite La Salle’s reputation for offensive rebounding—ranking second in the A-10 with 13.2 per game—the Revs controlled the boards emphatically, pulling down 47 rebounds to La Salle’s 28. This dominance translated into 19 second-chance points for GW, while limiting La Salle to just six, stifling one of the Explorers’ key strengths.
Castro’s dominance was clear on both ends of the floor. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, he collected nine offensive rebounds, blocked four shots, and notched three steals—cementing his case as a strong contender for A-10 Player of the Year.
This victory marks the first time since the 2014-15 season that the Revs have won their first two conference games in a row. Earlier this week, GW also broke a 24-year program record for 3-point scoring against Richmond, making 17 of 33 attempts—the most in school history.
Looking ahead, the Revs will travel to Dayton to face off against the Flyers (11-4, 2-0 A-10) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
https://gwhatchet.com/2026/01/03/mens-basketball-takes-down-la-salle-behind-castros-dominant-performance/