As senior night came to an ill-fated close Tuesday, Pops Mensah-Bonsu launched a soft Robert Ferguson jump-shot attempt into the stands like a beach ball.
While the long sedated crowd came to for a moment, the cathartic block – which the officials deemed goaltending – could ease the frustration for the GW men’s basketball team, which fell 71-56 to St. Joseph’s in front of 5,252 fans at the Smith Center.
Senior sharp-shooter Pat Carroll scored 21 points, connecting on 5-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc, as the Hawks slowed the tempo of the game to a snail’s pace, over-extending GW’s defense and running the clock down before launching three pointers and then grabbling key rebounds (the Hawks scored 15 second chance points). As a team, St. Joe’s (16-10, 12-2 Atlantic 10) shot 60 percent from three-point land and defensively, held the Colonials (18-7, 10-5 A-10) to a season-low 56 points on 38.5 percent shooting.
Sophomore guard J.R. Pinnock had another strong performance, leading GW with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Senior T.J. Thompson, who was honored before the game with a framed jersey and commemorative T-shirts, scored nine points.
“If we made it any kind of contest of going up and down the floor then we really wouldn’t have a chance,” said St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli, whose team allows a league-low 59.2 points per game. “Because we don’t have guys who can run and jump like that. So we tried to make it possession by possession and I actually put on the board (in the locker room) ‘old school basketball.’ They’re the new school, they’re flying up and down the court.”
The Colonials’ bubble has not yet popped, but as of now, it is unclear whether they will be floating around when the NCAA Tournament brackets are announced. To ensure at least an at-large bid, they most likely need a season-ending win against Rhode Island Saturday and at least two wins in the Atlantic 10 Tournament next week. If that doesn’t happen, GW will need to win the conference tourney to get its first automatic bid in program history.
Coach Karl Hobbs did not appear to be in the mood to talk about the post-season implications for the Colonials, who are now tied with Dayton for first place in the A-10 West and would clinch a share of the league title with a win over Rhode Island on the road Saturday.
“I’m going to let you guys, the fans, the parents and everyone else handle the results,” he said. “I’m just going to focus on the process. At the end of the day, if the results a bid in the NCAA Tournament or winning the A-10, we are going to take it and be very happy. The team isn’t ready to handle that pressure yet.”
Then Hobbs, who repeatedly spoke of alleviating pressure from his team, loosened himself up, playfully lambasting college basketball television analysts who flip-flop on teams based on one win, or one loss.
“I don’t know why they keep talking about your full body of work,” he said smiling, “I have no idea what that means … I’m not paying attention to that stuff. I’m just trying to beat Rhode Island.”
Riding the momentum of a last-second win over Dayton, the Colonials looked poised to grab at least a share of the A-10 West Title with a victory.
In their way stood a battered Hawks team that had just lost senior John Bryant at Temple last week, when John Chaney reportedly sent in little-used Nehemiah Ingram to “send a message.” The bruising forward elbowed Bryant, who fell, broke his arm and is out for the year. Ingram fouled out and four minutes and Chaney has since been suspended for the remainder of the year.
Martelli’s bunch fell to lowly Rhode Island last weekend, but looked like a polished veteran club Tuesday. The Hawks led the entire game, save for a 2-0 GW advantage off a Carl Elliott (six points) jumper in opening minute.
The Hawks came out with guns blazing, shooting a torrid 61.9 percent in the first half, as the Colonials struggled to defend the perimeter. On several possessions early in the game, St. Joe’s continuously worked the ball around the key before Carroll or Lee launched three-pointers as the shot-clock ticked down. St. Joe’s opened an 11-4 lead four minutes into the game, and an Abdullai Jalloh dunk extended it to 25-11 with 10 minutes left in the half.
Like it had all game, GW hung on by a thread but could not get over the hump. The Hobbs’ squad cut the St. Joe’s lead to seven (33-26) by halftime and looked ready to take over, as a Thompson lay-in cut the lead to 39-36 four minutes into the second half. However, the Colonials could not hit the big shot, grab the big rebound or make the key defensive stops needed to come back.
St. Joe’s continued to hit three-pointers, which GW occasionally answered, but after a Pinnock free throw cut the lead to 59-54 with 4:56 left, the Hawks took over, going on an 11-2 run to close out the night.
“The build up of this game, we’ve been on ESPN all week,” Hobbs said. “I’m pretty sure in their film session they showed the dunks, they were really up for us.”
After the game, Martelli assessed GW’s postseason chances.
“Well, I certainly think GW has done enough to get an at large bid,” he said. “Nobody would want to hear an Atlantic 10 school called, especially GW, a team that’s that athletic.”
And in the wake of the John Bryant/John Chaney situation, the St. Joe’s coach remained tight-lipped until a reporter asked him what was the hardest part of last week was.
“Biting the inside of my cheek,” he said after his team’s win. “It was a lot raw. But it’s better now.”
