MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia hasn't had this good a start to the season since the days of Jerry West.
Mike Gansey scored 19 points and D'or Fischer added 14 in a 71-65 victory over No. 20 George Washington on Wednesday night that improved the Mountaineers to 9-0 for the first time since going 10-0 in 1959 with the future Hall of Famer on the team.
The Colonials (8-2) had their eight-game winning streak snapped and were held below 70 points for the first time this season.
"The home crowd advantage has to be factored in," West Virginia coach John Beilein said. "Could we beat GW on the road? I'm not sure. But, this game was a good indication that we can win against teams with very quick and terrific defenses."
Using a patient offense and smothering zone, the Mountaineers forced George Washington into a slower-paced offense. It then turned to Gansey's long-range shooting to pull away early in the second half.
"I think he has been the difference in the team because he gives them another guy who understands the system of how they play," Colonials coach Karl Hobbs said of Gansey. "He is always poised and under control. He makes the big shots, and more importantly, he makes the big plays."
None were bigger than Gansey's two 3-pointers during West Virginia's 18-10 run to start the second half.
Tyrone Sally added two more long jumpers as West Virginia took its biggest lead, 50-36, with 15:22 left. George Washington then held the Mountaineers without a field goal for the next 10 minutes.
The Colonials, who average 87 points per game, chipped away at the deficit. T.J. Thompson was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to close the gap to 62-61 with 3:08 left.
In the past, the Mountaineers might have folded. But with its most-experienced team since it last made the NCAA Tournament in 1998, West Virginia rallied behind Fischer.
He hit four free throws and a dunk during the last 90 seconds and West Virginia made nine of 12 free throws down the stretch.
"We shot 100 free throws last night," Fischer said. "Coach told us that they would foul a lot and that we could win this game from the charity stripe. I made the ones that counted."
Fischer finished 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
"The big fella can shoot free throws," Hobbs said. "He is as good as they come. He showed it tonight, especially in the end."
West Virginia's next opponent is No. 17 North Carolina State on Jan. 2, in Raleigh. That's a second straight ranked matchup after an easy early schedule.
"If they don't want to put us in the Top 25, that is up to them," Gansey said. "I think we have proven we are a good team. We just beat a Top 20 team. I think we are one of the better teams in the country."
Thompson and J.R. Pinnock each had 14 points for George Washington, while Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Carl Elliot each added 11.
West Virginia led 32-26 at halftime, the seventh straight game the Mountaineers held an opponent to under 27 points in the opening 20 minutes.
It was the first time West Virginia played the Colonials while they were ranked since 1955. West Virginia has won the last seven home games against George Washington.
