George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
23-10, 11-7A10
Saint Joseph's (A-10 Quarterfinals)
25-7, 13-5A10
GW Men's Basketball Bows Out in A-10 Quarterfinals
3/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Six Colonials scored in double figures, but the fifth-seeded George Washington men's basketball team fell to fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's, 86-80, on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Barclays Center.
Kevin Larsen finished one assist shy of GW's first triple-double since 2007 with 10 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Joe McDonald led the Colonials with 15 points and added four assists, and Tyler Cavanaugh scored 13 points. Patricio Garino, Alex Mitola and Paul Jorgensen each chipped in 11 points to round out GW's double-figure scorers.
GW (23-10) shot 48.4 percent from long distance and finished one shy of the program record with 15 three-pointers, including 11 in the first half. Mitola and Jorgensen each drained three, while Cavanaugh, Garino and Yuta Watanabe had two apiece.
The Colonials shot 60 percent (18-30) in the first half while building a 49-35 advantage. The lead changed hands four times in the first five minutes until five straight points from Cavanaugh ignited a 14-4 GW run that included four treys. The Colonials stretched their lead to double digits on a layup by McDonald at the 9:33 mark, and a 3-pointer by Larsen at 1:05 gave GW its largest lead, 47-31.
Saint Joseph's (24-7) scored 11 straight points early in the second half to pull within four before Mitola sank a 3-pointer to make it 55-48 with 14:43 to go. The Hawks would twice cut it to one, but both times Garino hit a three to regain a four-point lead for the Colonials. Saint Joseph's, however, completed its comeback and took the lead for good on a three-point play by Aaron Brown with 5:11 remaining.
A-10 Player of the Year Deandre' Bembry scored a game-high 21 points, while Brown had 19 to lead the Hawks.
GW, whose 23 wins are tied for the fifth-most in the program's 102 seasons, will now await its postseason fate, which will be announced on Sunday evening.
