Sophomore Maceo Jack (#14) led all scorers with 28 points |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
Men’s Basketball Falls to St. Bonaventure, 64-58
Maceo Jack scored a career-high 28 points
For 20 minutes at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday afternoon, the George Washington men's basketball team gave an A-10 powerhouse all it could handle. St. Bonaventure, an NCAA Tournament team in 2018, came to DC as the winners of five straight, playing its best ball of the season.
GW greeted the Bonnies by leading throughout the first half, riding a career-best performance by sophomore Maceo Jack. The Buffalo native was en fuego early, as he buried 5-of-6 first half shots - all from three-point range - and got to the line six times where he nailed five. By halftime, Jack had 20 of GW's 33 points, and the Buff and Blue led 33-27 at the break.
If only the game was 20 minutes. The Bonnies adjusted in the locker room and keyed on Jack in the second as they began to rally. The sharpshooter was held to 1-of-5 shooting after intermission, and his teammates couldn't get anything going. While the visitors connected at a .452 clip from the floor in the second half, GW managed a .280 shooting show over the final 20 minutes, and allowed St. Bonaventure to steal one in Washington with the 64-58 win. The Bonnies' Osun Osunniyi just couldn't be contained late, as he registered a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double in the second half alone, en route to his monster 18-point, 16-rebound afternoon.
Justin Mazzulla scored 9 points in the 2nd half |
Jack finished with a career-high 28 points, but the Colonials couldn't get anyone else to join him in double figures. Justin Mazzulla had all nine of his points in the second half, and fellow sophomore Javier Langarica had a team-high 11 rebounds, but GW's size disadvantage yielded a 39-28 rebounding edge to the Bonnies and resulted in a 19-5 deficit in second chance points in the game that was decided by just six. On the other side, LaDarien Griffin (11) and Kyle Lofton (10) gave the New Yorkers just enough scoring punch.
DJ Williams added 5 points & 3 rebounds |
In his career night, Jack also singlehandedly won the free throw battle with the entirety of the Saint Bonaventure squad, as he alone made 11-of-13 free throws while the opposition went 7-of-11 as a team. Alas, it wasn't enough to prevent GW from avoiding the Wednesday games at the Atlantic 10 Championship in Brooklyn.
Colonials Head Coach Maurice Joseph |
With two games to play in the regular season (Wednesday at Fordham, Saturday vs. George Mason in the home finale at 2 PM), seeding is still at stake while GW determines its postseason opponent. The Colonials will open postseason play on Wednesday, March 13th at the Barclays Center, looking to win their opening game in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the sixth consecutive season.
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Click here for yesterday's box score.
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