George Washington University Athletics
Saturday, February 23
Richmond, VA
2:00 PM
George Washington University
8-19, 4-10 A-10
57
at
85
VCU
21-6, 12-2 A-10
1
2
F
George Washington
40
17
57
VCU
43
42
85
DJ Williams led GW with 22 points
Men’s Basketball Downed by VCU
2/23/2019 5:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Colonials shot 55 percent in the first half but went cold thereafter in an 85-57 loss
RICHMOND, Va. -- After a hot shooting night led them to a comfortable win over UMass on Wednesday, the GW men's basketball team went into Saturday's game at VCU knowing they'd need a similar performance to test the Rams, who as winners of seven straight came in as the hottest team in the Atlantic 10.
Early on, the Colonials delivered and for the first 20 minutes the teams were neck-and-neck, as the first half saw four ties and five lead changes. Two-man combos accounted for the lion's share of scoring for both sides, with DJ Williams and Maceo Jack taking command for GW, and Marcus Evans and De'Riante Jenkins doing so for VCU.
Williams scorched the Rams for 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Jack added 10 and GW shot 55.2 percent collectively, including 6-of-8 from long distance. The Colonials led 21-19 after a pair of free throws from Jack, but Jenkins scored five straight for VCU to retake a lead it wouldn't surrender. Evans and Jenkins combined for 26 first-half points for the Rams, who nearly equaled their counterparts with 51.9 percent accuracy (6-of-9 3pt). Still, when Williams put back a missed shot at the buzzer, GW found itself trailing by just three, 43-40, going into intermission.
The second half would be a different story as VCU, which leads the league in both scoring and field goal percentage defense, put on the clamps. The Colonials missed their first 12 shots and were scoreless until a Justin Mazzulla bucket with 9:50 remaining, and by then the Rams had opened up a 21-point lead en route to an 85-57 victory.
Williams finished with 22 for GW, marking his third 20-point effort in the last four games, and Jack had 12. For VCU, Evans tallied 25 on 6-of-10 shooting (4-of-6 3pt). He also led the cause at the charity stripe with a 9-of-10 afternoon as the Rams went to the line a staggering 25 times and made 20 of them, while GW hit nine of its scant 10 opportunities at the line.
A quick turnaround awaits the Colonials, as they are back on the road to face Rhode Island on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Early on, the Colonials delivered and for the first 20 minutes the teams were neck-and-neck, as the first half saw four ties and five lead changes. Two-man combos accounted for the lion's share of scoring for both sides, with DJ Williams and Maceo Jack taking command for GW, and Marcus Evans and De'Riante Jenkins doing so for VCU.
Williams scorched the Rams for 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Jack added 10 and GW shot 55.2 percent collectively, including 6-of-8 from long distance. The Colonials led 21-19 after a pair of free throws from Jack, but Jenkins scored five straight for VCU to retake a lead it wouldn't surrender. Evans and Jenkins combined for 26 first-half points for the Rams, who nearly equaled their counterparts with 51.9 percent accuracy (6-of-9 3pt). Still, when Williams put back a missed shot at the buzzer, GW found itself trailing by just three, 43-40, going into intermission.
The second half would be a different story as VCU, which leads the league in both scoring and field goal percentage defense, put on the clamps. The Colonials missed their first 12 shots and were scoreless until a Justin Mazzulla bucket with 9:50 remaining, and by then the Rams had opened up a 21-point lead en route to an 85-57 victory.
Williams finished with 22 for GW, marking his third 20-point effort in the last four games, and Jack had 12. For VCU, Evans tallied 25 on 6-of-10 shooting (4-of-6 3pt). He also led the cause at the charity stripe with a 9-of-10 afternoon as the Rams went to the line a staggering 25 times and made 20 of them, while GW hit nine of its scant 10 opportunities at the line.
A quick turnaround awaits the Colonials, as they are back on the road to face Rhode Island on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Team Stats
GW
VCU
FG%
.389
.467
3FG%
.429
.391
FT%
.900
.800
RB
32
38
TO
15
9
STL
3
9
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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