By Scott Greaney (@ScottGreaney_)
On a brisk Tuesday night inside EagleBank Arena, men’s basketball saw their losing streak extend to seven against their cross-Potomac rival George Mason 90-67 following a disheartening first-half performance. With this loss, GW is now on its first seven-game losing streak since 2012 and has given up at least 80 points in each of the seven losses.
The Revolutionaries (14-10, 3-8 A10) trailed for all but 47 seconds of the contest as their offensive struggles amidst this avalanche of losses continued Tuesday. The Patriots (17-8, 6-6 A10) had five players finish in double-digits scoring while shooting a collective 56.7% from the field.
“I’m disappointed in how we came out, how we played,” GW head coach Chris Caputo said. “We are a ways away from where we were a month ago when we were 17-3.”
Coming into the game, both teams battled injuries to their key players. George Mason’s senior guard Darius Maddox sat out with an ankle injury, while GW’s star redshirt freshman forward Darren Buchanan Jr. was sidelined due to a groin injury he sustained in Saturday’s loss to Loyola-Chicago.
“A quick turnaround without Darren Buchanan is very difficult for us,” Caputo said. “He’s been so important to how we’ve tried to play with our young team; he plays like an older player.”
Tuesday’s game quickly got out of hand as the Revolutionaries stumbled out of the gate, missing their first six shot attempts. On the other hand, George Mason returned to their home court with a red-hot start, racing out to a 24-8 lead by the under-12 media timeout.
The Patriots’ lead would eventually bloom to 27 by halftime, shooting a remarkable 61.3% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. George Mason celebrated a three-point barrage in the first half with five Patriots each hitting at least one three in the opening period. The Patriots’ 54-point first half is the most points GW has allowed in a first half this season.
On the other hand, GW’s shooting struggles, which have become a common theme over the last month, made their return Tuesday night, as the Revolutionaries shot just 11-for-36 from the field despite only four turnovers in the first half.
“Without Darren, so much of what we’ve done offensively here since day one has centered around playing through him,” Caputo said. “He’s such a unique player and he causes so many issues match-up-wise for opponents.”
“We are doing this with a little bit younger of a crew with less experience,” Caputo said. “We’ve got to continue to build our roster, get the guys better that are here, and put more size, speed, athleticism out there.”
With GW on pace to give up 108 points to a team they comfortably beat at home less than a month ago, the large question was whether the Buff and Blue would show some fight coming out of halftime and make a little run. However, whenever GW was able to score a clean basket, the Patriots always had an answer right back, whether that being a three or an easy layup in the paint.
“Defenders, defenders, we need better defenders,” Caputo said. “I’m not picking on our guys; I just think we have freshmen defenders, and that’s just the reality.”
With George Mason leading by as much as 39 with over 11 minutes left in the second half, the frustrations and emotions of a seven-game collapse started to show on many GW players’ faces as the bench squad took over for the starters. George Mason’s sophomore forward Keyshawn Hall exploded for 20 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, while graduate center Amari Kelly pitched in as well with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The one real positive takeaway for GW was graduate forward Antoine Smith Jr, who finished with a season-high 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, leading the Buff and Blue in both categories.
After a bounce-back performance Saturday against Loyola-Chicago, senior guard James Bishop IV struggled once again, finishing with 10 points and two assists, making just one of his first seven shot attempts from the field.
“It’s on me. It’s not lost on me that we haven’t been able to help him with that,” Caputo said. ”He’s a great guy, he tries really really hard to be a great teammate, and very coachable…it sits with me a little bit.”
Caputo said Darren Buchanan Jr. remains questionable for Saturday’s game against Richmond. He also said Garrett Johnson has been dealing with a hip injury that has limited his mobility on the court down the stretch of games.
The going doesn’t get any easier for the Revolutionaries as they host the current A10 leaders, Richmond, in the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The game can be streamed on WRGW and USA Network.
Leave a Reply