George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Passes Pirates, 72-63
12/4/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Colonials' Freshman Duo Combine For 39
WASHINGTON, DC (Dec. 4, 1999) - GW freshmen SirValiant Brown and Chris Monroe scored 23 and 16 points , respectively, to power the Colonials past Seton Hall, 72- 63, in the opening game of the 1999 BB&T Classic Saturday at MCI Center. GW will face No. 23 Maryland (6-1) in the championship game at approximately 9:00 p.m. Sunday. The Terrapins defeated No. 16 Illinois, 69-67, in the late game. Illinois (2-2) and Seton Hall (3- 1) will meet in the consolation game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Brown entered the game ranked second in the country in scoring with 25.8 points a game but it was Monroe who had the early shooting touch scoring 13 first-half points on 3-6 from the field and 6-6 at the line.
The Pirates took an early lead before a GW run put the Colonials up by 11 (38-27) at the half. Seton Hall outscored GW, 23-12, during the first 10 minutes of the second half to tie the game at 50 before a three-pointer by Monroe ignited a 14-4 burst to put the Colonials back in control with 3:56 remaining.
Senior Francisco de Miranda recorded GW's first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Mike King contributed 15 points and a pair of blocked shots.
GW finished with just 38 percent shooting from the field but took 21 more shots than the Pirates. The Colonials' defense also forced Seton Hall into 28 turnovers while commiting just 16 miscues. GW also had an 11-rebound advantage (40-29).
The Pirates were led by Darius Lane's game-high 24 points including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
GW (3-3) will play in its third BB&T championship game in the five-year history of the event. GW won the tournament in 1997 when they upset 19th-ranked Maryland.
