Monday, November 25
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
3 p.m.
George Washington University
6-1,0-0Atlantic 10
72
vs
64
Illinois State
4-3,0-0MVC
1
2
F
Illinois St.
29
35
64
George Washington
27
45
72
Men's Basketball Catches Fires, Storms Past Illinois State, 72-64
11/25/2024 6:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Stuck in neutral for the better part of 30 minutes in Monday's Paradise Jam finale, GW men's basketball erupted down the stretch to overcome a 13-point deficit and top Illinois State, 72-64.
GW trailed 45-32 at the under-12 media timeout in the second half and had made just 10-of-36 shots from the floor to that point. But from then on, the Buff & Blue revolutionized their offense and scored 37 points on their final 19 possessions to stun the Redbirds, making nine of their final 14 attempts.
Darren Buchanan Jr. assumed the point forward position, capitalizing on Illinois State cracking down on him in the post to distribute the ball for wide-open 3-point attempts. Gerald Drumgoole Jr., Trey Autry and Jacoi Hutchinson then paid off the plan with five made triples down the stretch.
GW ultimately tied the game at 56 with 4:31 to go on a Buchanan layup and took the lead for good on a Drumgoole three-point play with 3:53 remaining. Autry then buried a pair of 3-pointers on the next two possessions and Drumgoole delivered the dagger trifecta with 34 seconds left to put GW up by two scores, 68-62.
Autry matched his career-high set on Saturday with 16 points, nailing 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Drumgoole equaled the team-high with a season-best 16. Buchanan, despite an uncharacteristic 3-of-11 day shooting, authored his fifth double-double of the year with 15 points (9-11 FT) and 10 rebounds, also dishing out four assists.
The Buff & Blue now sit at 6-1 following the fourth-place finish in the tournament, marking the first time since 2005-06 and 2006-07 that GW has started consecutive seasons at 6-1 or better.
The Revolutionaries will look to improve on that mark when they returns to the Smith Center on Friday afternoon for a Black Friday matinee vs. VMI. Tip is set for 2 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.
--
GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
GW trailed 45-32 at the under-12 media timeout in the second half and had made just 10-of-36 shots from the floor to that point. But from then on, the Buff & Blue revolutionized their offense and scored 37 points on their final 19 possessions to stun the Redbirds, making nine of their final 14 attempts.
Darren Buchanan Jr. assumed the point forward position, capitalizing on Illinois State cracking down on him in the post to distribute the ball for wide-open 3-point attempts. Gerald Drumgoole Jr., Trey Autry and Jacoi Hutchinson then paid off the plan with five made triples down the stretch.
GW ultimately tied the game at 56 with 4:31 to go on a Buchanan layup and took the lead for good on a Drumgoole three-point play with 3:53 remaining. Autry then buried a pair of 3-pointers on the next two possessions and Drumgoole delivered the dagger trifecta with 34 seconds left to put GW up by two scores, 68-62.
Autry matched his career-high set on Saturday with 16 points, nailing 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Drumgoole equaled the team-high with a season-best 16. Buchanan, despite an uncharacteristic 3-of-11 day shooting, authored his fifth double-double of the year with 15 points (9-11 FT) and 10 rebounds, also dishing out four assists.
The Buff & Blue now sit at 6-1 following the fourth-place finish in the tournament, marking the first time since 2005-06 and 2006-07 that GW has started consecutive seasons at 6-1 or better.
The Revolutionaries will look to improve on that mark when they returns to the Smith Center on Friday afternoon for a Black Friday matinee vs. VMI. Tip is set for 2 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.
--
GW fans can get in the game by directly supporting student-athletes through donations to the Buff & Blue Fund. For more information on GW Athletics, fans are encouraged to visit GWsports.com, or follow the Revolutionaries on social media through X (@GWsports) and Instagram (@gwsports).
In addition, single-game and season tickets for the 2024-25 GW men's and women's basketball campaigns are currently on sale through the GW Athletics Ticket Office (202-99-GWTIX or tickets@gwu.edu).
Team Stats
ILS
GWU
FG%
.438
.380
3FG%
.222
.357
FT%
.857
.800
RB
29
33
TO
11
10
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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