The red-hot GW men’s basketball team cooled off considerably in South Florida Tuesday night as the Colonials dropped their first game of the season and first road contest to the University of South Florida.
GW (4-1) entered the South Florida contest after winning the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic, in which tournament MVP Chris Monroe led GW past Boston and Howard universities with 52 points.
The Colonials will face St. John’s University and former GW head coach Mike Jarvis in the first round of the BB&T Classic Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the MCI Center. GW will play either Maryland or the University of Michigan Sunday depending on the outcomes of Saturday’s games.
South Florida 76, GW 64Tuesday, Nov. 28
The Colonials’ hot shooting and four-game winning streak ended Tuesday night as GW fell 76-64 to South Florida in Tampa.
Despite Chris Monroe’s team-high 24 points, GW’s shooting was abysmal against a South Florida (2-2) team that entered the game on a two-game losing streak.
SirValiant Brown was just 3-for-18 shooting and matched his career-low with nine points. South Florida doubled GW’s shooting percentage by hitting 28-of-48 shots.
South Florida tore through GW to start the second half taking a 51-39 lead after a 19-7 run. Morris and Jackson hit three pointers extending the lead to 64-53, putting GW away for good.
GW 92, Boston 76Saturday, Nov. 25
The GW men’s basketball team won its own Red Auerbach Colonial Classic Nov. 25 by beating a 3-1 Boston University squad 92-76 behind the shooting of Chris Monroe, who scored 26 points in the game.
GW turned the ball over twice in the first half, and went into halftime with a 52-38 lead.
The Colonials shot well against the Terriers, hitting 54 percent (30-for-56) from the field. SirValiant Brown added 22 points.
The team set a Smith Center record for most three pointers in a game with 14. Bernard Barrow scored all of his 12 points on three pointers.
GW 119, Howard 80Friday, Nov. 24
GW blasted through Howard 119-80 in the first round of the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic Nov. 24 at the Smith Center. Chris Monroe led the Colonials with 26 points. SirValiant Brown added 25 and Mike King had 24 points.
Patrick Ngongba collected a double-double off the bench, setting a career high in rebounds with 14. The Colonials also set a Smith Center record for points scored in a game.
Both Brown and Bernard Barrow nailed two three-pointers in less than four minutes driving GW to an early 15-4 lead. GW capitalized on Howard’s (0-3) dismal first-half shooting by nailing six three-pointers in the period.
In the second half Mike King scored his 1,000th collegiate point.
GW 91, Old Dominion 89Monday, Nov. 20
The Colonials nearly blew a 22-point lead in the final five minutes against Old Dominion University at home, but held on to win 91-89 with key free throws from SirValiant Brown and Chris Monroe down the stretch.
Albert Roma set career-highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds and recording his first career double-double.
GW led by 20 with five minutes remaining.
“We’ve got to make our free throws,” said head coach Tom Penders. “And we probably cost ourselves the possibility of 10 or 12 points there.”
Mike King, Bernard Barrow and Roma missed free throws in the final five minutes. ODU then strung together a lay-up and three three-pointers to cut the GW lead by three.
After a Rasheed Wright three-
