WASHINGTON, D.C. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore faces another strong challenge on Thursday night as they face off with George Washington (0-1) in a second straight road game to start the season.
The Hawks (0-1) fell at Miami on the road on Monday, while the Colonials dropped a road contest to another Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in Virginia.
"I think it is a decent matchup for us, but it is going to be a tough game for a young team because it's our second game and on the road," Batchelor said. "That is where the challenge is and it is still going to be more about us than them."
The Hawks struggled with turnovers in the opening game and some with offensive execution. But the game was definitely a step in the right direction for the Hawks.
"We are a young team and we are learning," Batchelor said. "I thought we took some significant steps down in Miami, but this is going to be a different challenge and now we have to see how we respond after being on the road for four days."
Mia Lakstiglia, a graduate transfer from Penn, led the Colonials in her debut with 16 points and three boards in 34 minutes. Senior Nya Lok, junior Asjah Innis and graduate transfer Jayla Thornton had nine apiece.
"They move very well without the ball and they seem to have a system that works," Batchelor said. "They look like they have chemistry and if they make shots they are a very tough team because they can shoot from deep. If they are hitting, it will be a real challenge especially if we don't take care of the basketball and if we give them second opportunities."
Preventing second shots will require a better effort on the boards, but the GW frontline does not approach the size that Miami boasted. Defensively Batchelor will be looking for improvement and more cohesion from his young Hawks.
"I think the big thing is that if we can communicate," Batchelor said. "This really challenges our principles when we play these types of games early. How true we are and how disciplined we are to our principles is going to determine our ability to be able to compete, which then puts you in a position to win. Until we can formalize our principles as a consistent way of how we play, that is going to be our biggest challenge."
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game is available on ESPN+.
