George Washington University
12-11, 4-6
Richmond
14-9, 8-3
Men's Basketball Falls at Richmond, 84-75
2/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | USATSI Photo Gallery 
RICHMOND, Va. -- On Saturday afternoon at Richmond's Robins Center, the George Washington men's basketball team battled back again and again over the game's final 20 minutes, cutting a Richmond lead that was 16 at its largest to six multiple times, but couldn't get the margin under a half dozen in the second half in an 84-75 defeat at the hands of the Spiders.
Again and again GW had the ball and stared down a six or seven-point deficit, but on each occasion Richmond found the crucial stop and answered with a bucket on the other end. The Colonials fell to 12-11 on the year (4-6 A-10) with the defeat while Richmond improved to 14-9 (8-3 A-10).
"We have to find a way to not dig ourselves in holes, but we've never stopped fighting. We're a resilient group," said interim head coach Maurice Joseph. "What we need to do is not have our backs against the wall and start to try to claw back. That's where our young team needs to grow... Have that same live-or-die mentality when it's [early] in the first half as opposed to down 13 in the second half."
GW started hot and opened with a 9-2 spurt in the first 2:40 of the contest, but Richmond answered with a 10-2 spurt to take its first lead of the game, 12-11, at just under the 15:00 mark of the first half. The Spiders' lead swelled to 22-13 at 11:02 when a testy exchange between the teams forced Tyler Cavanaugh to the bench for the remainder of the first half with his second foul. The Colonials deficit stood at 46-34 at the intermission.
Unlike in the game's opening minutes, it was Richmond that surged to open the second and assumed a 56-40 edge at the under 16:00 media timeout. GW, however, put together one of its trademark comeback tries, and on the back of seven straight points from freshman Arnaldo Toro, the Colonials scored 10 unanswered to pull close at 56-50. Cavanaugh had to sit at the 11:50 mark with his third foul and Richmond ahead 60-52, but undeterred behind Toro, GW found itself within six once again when the Puerto Rican big man buried a pair of free throws following the under-4:00 media timeout.
Frustratingly for the Colonials, that was as close as they could get as it was the Spiders who got the stops and the answers to secure the win. Two of the conference's top big men and double-double threats answered the bell for their squads, as Cavanaugh's 23 points and 10 rebounds marked his ninth 20-point game and seventh double-double on the season.
However, reigning A-10 Player of the Week T.J. Cline racked up his ninth double-double and matching ninth 20-point game with his game-high 26-point, 13-rebound afternoon.
Making his second start of the season for GW, Patrick Steeves scored 12 to join Cavanaugh in double figures, while Toro and Yuta Watanabe each threw in 11. On the other side though the Colonials were victimized by Khwan Fore's career-high 24 points, while fellow guard Shawndre' Jones put up 17 points and a game-high five assists. Despite having its bench outscore their counterparts 21-6, outrebounding the Spiders 38-30, and making more free throws (26-of-30, .867) than the Spiders attempted (17-of-22), the Colonials couldn't top the home team where it mattered most.
Two monumental match-ups on GW's home floor await the Colonials; first on Wednesday vs. VCU at 9pm followed by Saturday's (Feb. 11) Homecoming showdown with Saint Bonaventure at 4:30pm.
