Senior forward Aaron Ware spun around, motioning for a timeout as soon as the ball hit his hands.

The Colonials were down by a single point to Bradley with 21 seconds on the clock. Head coach Mike Lonergan quickly drew up a play that was supposed to give senior guard Tony Taylor a “heck of a downscreen,” sending sophomore forward Nemanja Mikic and freshman forward John Kopriva into the game for junior guard Bryan Bynes and junior forward Dwayne Smith.

But as the shot clock drained, GW couldn’t run the play Lonergan envisioned. Taylor circled the baseline, looking for an open shot until he was forced to lob the ball in desperation, shooting just wide of the net as junior guard Lasan Kromah made a last-ditch effort to push the ball in.

The buzzer sounded, and the Colonials left the Smith Center with a 67-66 loss to the Braves.

“It’s obviously a heartbreaking loss,” Lonergan said. “Became a very close game late, thought we were in good position, had a timeout, ran a play for our best player and we just did not execute the play correctly. Did not screen for Tony and he was forced to take a tough shot.”

It was another night where shooting troubles plagued the Colonials (4-6). Going just 41.4 percent from the floor, GW again couldn’t establish a solid, dependable rhythm. Rushed looks lead to many Colonial shots bouncing off the rim, or finishing just wide of the net, and the team ended the night shooting just 29-for-70.

The shooting struggles followed the Colonials beyond the arc. Once the team that boasted the highest three-point percentage in the nation, GW’s struggled from the perimeter of late. Thursday night’s play was no exception, the Colonials shooting just 20.0 percent from three-point range. GW also missed easy points at the line, going just 6-for-13 on free throws on the night.

“We’re struggling to make easy shots. Missing free throws, wide-open three pointers,” Lonergan said. “I’m not going to yell at guys for missing shots, but we ran a great play, our best shooter, wide open three, those are plays you can’t get back.”

Though the battle at the glass was even, GW maintaining a slight 40-32 edge, the Colonials were decidedly dominant in the paint. They bested the Braves in points the paint, 42-26, and took a commanding lead in second chance points, 23-8. Ther were statistics born of the Colonials’ commanding offensive glass presence, owning a 21-9 advantage in offensive boards.

GW’s inability to capitalize off of those opportunities, Lonergan said, was troubling, but even more problematic for the head coach is the team’s inability to create shots for Taylor. Lonergan openly refers to the guard as GW’s best player, and Taylor rarely finds the ball in his hands after dishing out a pass for a good look. The senior had 11 points and three assists on the loss, and Lonergan said it’s time for the other Colonials to focus on finding Taylor instead of taking shots.

“We’ve got to understand that we’re trying to run some plays for Tony, we’ve got some guys forcing shots. And I don’t think it’s selfishness, I just think that guys lose their composure out there,” Lonergan said. “We’ve just got to get more consistent. We’ve got to get five guys playing at the same time. I feel bad for Tony, because you want to put the ball in your best player’s hands, you know, I’m not throwing anybody under the bus, but it wasn’t his fault. We didn’t execute the play.”

In a breakdown that’s become characteristic of GW this season, the team couldn’t supplement its shaky offensive performance with a solid defensive stance. Problems from the perimeter followed the Colonials down the court, the Braves maintaining their foothold in the game with a 50.0 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, draining four treys in each half.

Bradley shot an even 50 percent from the floor on the night, despite grabbing just nine offensive boards. The Colonials ran an aggressive man-to-man defense for most of the night, but couldn’t contain the Braves’ scrappy offense, many Bradley players getting shots off despite outstretched GW hands. The team tried to switch to a zone defense, but couldn’t find a solid solution to stop Bradley.

“We’re allowing the best players to beat us. I think we have to have the mindset, my man’s not scoring. The game’s on the line, my man’s not going to score,” Lonergan said.  “They made the plays, I mean basketball’s a pretty easy game, we gave the effort, but the stats don’t lie.”

The most commanding presence defensively for the Colonials was graduate student forward Jabari Edwards, who slammed back six blocks on the night. Edwards played 29 minutes, but didn’t start the game for the first time this season, pulled in favor of Smith, who added six points and six rebounds.

Edwards wasn’t the only lineup change- junior forward David Pellom, the leading GW scorer over the past two games, was benched with a one-game suspension, the result of an athletics department rules violation. Lonergan didn’t comment further on the specifics of Pellom’s suspension, but alluded to “too many distractions around our program.”

“What they do on and off the court matters. That’s what championship teams are about and that’s what winning programs are about. We’ve got to get rid of all the distractions,” Lonergan said. “We have enough talent, and we have one great player, and I have to do a better job of making him play great, and his teammates have got to help him as well.”

Kopriva added 12 points, two rebounds and an assist for the Colonials, an indication that Kopriva is GW’s best post player, Lonergan said. Kromah added 10 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing seven boards, but it was Ware who stepped up to pace the Colonials offensively.

Coming off the bench, Ware posted 13 points, grabbing four boards and a steal. Many of his shots came through heavy pressure, Ware driving to the net unrelentingly and making baskets through double-teams. The forward likes playing off the bench, he said postgame, enjoying the pressure to “bring it” each time he steps on the court- but even he was taken aback by the prospect of leading GW in points.

“I mean, I scored 13 points, I can honestly say if I’m leading the team in scoring we’re probably not going to win the game,” Ware said. “I just try to be consistent. We’ve just got to get Lasan more shots, got to get Tony more shots. I think that’s going to be some carry-over to the next three games we have.”

The loss to Bradley is the latest in a five-game slide for the Colonials, a skid Lonegan wants to stop quickly.

In its next three games, GW takes the court at home. As Lonergan stood up from the press conference table Thursday night, flanked by Taylor and Ware, all three shared the same thought: it’s time to work harder to capitalize on the home stand.

“I’m disappointed. I hate losing. We had the ball, and I thought we were going to come away with a nice little win,” Lonergan said. “We play a tough schedule and we’re trying to get better. Sure, I wish we were 6 and 4 right now, that’s for darn sure. But it’s a process.”