WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 23, 2005 - The Owls faced their first major test as a Division I program and No. 21-ranked George Washington gave the Owls a taste of top-flight basketball as the Colonials defeated Kennesaw State, 87-42, at the Smith Center on Wednesday evening.

The Owls (1-3) were never in the game after the first five minutes as it appeared that the trip to Alaska and three games in two days took a toll on the well-traveled Owls.

Kennesaw State had just one player score in double-figures as Ronell Wooten (3-for-9) scored 10 points. The young, inexperienced and weary Owls were overmatched by the No. 21-ranked Colonials who outrebounded and outshot KSU in their opening game of the season.

George Washington's Mike Hall (10-for-12) scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a quartet of players who had double-digit scoring nights. The Colonials outshot the Owls, 55 percent to 32 percent on the night.

The Owls stayed close in the early going as they trailed 10-8 with just over 15 minutes left in the half. However, a 29-11 run finished out the first half and George Washington took a 20-point lead into halftime.

Things didn't get much better in the second half for the Owls as the Colonials took advantage of the Owls smaller inside game. George Washington outrebounded the Owls 43-28 and controlled the paint, outscoring KSU by a whopping 60-18 inside.

Carl Elliot had 14 points for GW while Maureece Reese added 13 points. Danilo Pinnock had 10 points, nine rebounds, six steals and four assists. Golden Ingle scored seven points for the Owls while Israel Ingle droopped in five points.

The Owls will arrive back in Georgia on Thursday afternoon as they prepare for their home opener on Saturday evening against Clark Atlanta at 7:00 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.