George Washington University
6-0
Tennessee
4-2
GW Men's Hoops Tops Tennessee, 73-70
11/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Facing yet another traditional powerhouse program, the GW men's basketball team (6-0) emerged as the victor against the Tennessee Volunteers (4-2), 73-70, Friday night at the Barclays Center.
GW, which is off to its best start since the 2005-06 season, now advances to Saturday's Barclays Center Classic Championship game in a quick turnaround at 2:30 p.m. against No. 24 Cincinnati. The Bearcats downed Nebraska in Friday's first semifinal match-up.
The Colonials were led by the frontcourt tandem of Tyler Cavanaugh (18 points, nine rebounds) and Kevin Larsen (15 points, game-high 10 rebounds) who combined to connect on 14-of-25 attempts from the floor. As a team, GW controlled the glass with a 47-30 rebounding edge over Tennessee, which translated to a 14-7 edge in second chance points following 18 GW offensive rebounds.
Patricio Garino netted 12 and registered a game-high five assists, while Yuta Watanabe's 11 points gave GW four double-digit scorers in the game. Garino also continued his scorching shooting from the land of plenty by connecting on both of his three-point tries.
Playing near his hometown of New City, N.Y., Paul Jorgensen played 23 minutes in a reserve role and accumulated seven points, a career-high seven rebounds (three offensive) and three assists.
Tennessee's Kevin Punter led all scorers with 24 points, despite playing the majority of the second half with four fouls.
GW led 38-27 at the half, and enjoyed a 15-point lead at the 15:20 mark of the second half, before Tennessee staged its late rally. After the Vols closed within one at 69-68 with under two minutes to play, McDonald capped GW's scoring with consecutive jumpers, and the Colonials survived two late free throws and a pair of errant Tennessee three-pointers that would have tied the game.
The Vols had built a 19-11 lead in the first half only to see GW catch fire over the last 10 minutes. After starting 5-of-16 from the field, the Colonials finished the first half by knocking down 11-of-17 to close on a 27-8 run.
